Buffalo 7 News: Major mask donation by three local companies to help stop spread of COVID-19
https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/major-mask-donation-to-help-stop-spread-of-covid-19
Buffalo, NY—Three Western New York-based personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing companies: NYPPE, LLC, of Tonawanda, Pure Environments by Shatkin First of Amherst, and BMP of Medina, today announced the donation of 15,000 adult and pediatric high filtration, medical-grade masks, and N95s to a host of east side not-for-profit groups. The announcement took place at the Seneca-Babcock Community Association. These companies are part of the New York State PPE Manufacturers Association (NYSPPEMA) representing New York State-based companies manufacturing personal protective equipment and rapid covid test kits.
Connor Knapp, co-chair of the NYSPPEMA and owner of NYPPE, LLC. said, “The NYS PPE Manufacturers Association is pleased to be able to assist our local community-based organizations with their efforts to keep their members healthy and safe. The 15,000 masks that we are donating today are all manufactured right here in Western New York. We believe it is critical that the products that we are using to combat Covid-19 and the Omicron variant are safe and reliable, something that cannot be said of the majority of foreign-made products that have been sold and distributed into the U.S. market. These unsafe products pose a direct threat to Americans effectively protecting themselves and mitigating the spread of the virus. We pride ourselves on providing reliable, American and New York made alternatives to our fellow Americans to ensure their safety and the safety of their loved ones.”
One of the most effective ways to reduce the transmission of Covid is through high filtration masks which are currently in short supply and often too costly for many residents to purchase.
Additionally, the increased demand for masks has resulted in millions of fraudulent, counterfeit, and even reused masks being sold on the market, mostly from foreign countries. These unsafe products not only severely hamper efforts to mitigate the spread of Covid and the recent Omicron variant but jeopardize the safety of the users who think they are protected by using them.
These New York State manufactured masks are safe, locally available, and the companies that make them employ hundreds of New Yorkers.
The Buffalo City Council recently passed a resolution encouraging Buffalo public schools, city agencies, and businesses to utilize locally produced personal protective equipment.
Councilmember Nowakowski, who introduced the resolution, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has made very clear what we Council Members already knew to be true: neighborhood-based community groups are the frontline for families, our elders, and children in the community. They help form the social safety net for our residents. On behalf of the Buffalo Common Council, I would like to thank NYPPE, Pure Environments by Shatkin First, and BMP America for their generous donation of 15,000 high-filtration masks today to the Seneca-Babcock Community Association. In a time of crisis, these companies were able to respond to the demand for PPE products by manufacturing them here in Western New York, supporting local families with local jobs. Buffalo is all about buying and supporting local, and this should be true for PPE as well. I hope those in a position to make purchasing decisions strongly consider purchasing locally manufactured products whenever possible.”
All donated masks will be donated to both locations of the Seneca-Babcock Community Association and then further distributed to 10-15 additional community groups, block clubs, and tenant/neighborhood associations.
“The partnership shown by the NYS PPE Manufacturers Association is a shining example of businesses coming together for a common cause in the fight against Covid-19,” said Lovejoy Council Member Bryan Bollman. “Their leadership will allow us to provide critical resources to our residents across the Lovejoy District, starting with our senior living facilities and community centers. And, even better news, all of the PPE was made here in Western New York by western New Yorkers.”
Brian Pilarski, president of the Seneca Babcock Community Center and Town of Cheektowaga Councilmember said, “The people who use this facility and our others are from underserved communities. These families live in poverty and/or are the working poor. They do not have the financial wherewithal to incur all the extra expenses associated with the pandemic. On their behalf, I thank these companies for this generous donation and assure you that these masks will be distributed to families who are in real need of this type of support. Also, in my capacity as a member of the Cheektowaga Town Council, I am pleased to announce that I will soon be introducing a resolution, similar to the one passed by the Buffalo Council, encouraging everyone to buy from local manufacturers when it comes to PPE purchasing.”
Dr. Todd Shatkin stated, “We are happy to support the community by providing these N95 masks. When NY State called for community innovation to combat the Covid crisis, we rose to the challenge, quickly ramping up to provide the very best quality filtration masks available! We have recently received NIOSH approval and are currently in full force making N95 respirators. It’s been a privilege to be able to donate hundreds of thousands of masks to local area hospitals, nursing homes, and the community at large. We know that the new variant has increased demand and that is why we are excited to provide safe, reliable, New York state-made products to our community.”
Alan Lebold, President of BMP America stated, “As the Covid pandemic reached the United States in 2020, our employees recognized that BMP America has all the right tools to design, manufacture, and sell superior cloth face masks. A majority of the products that BMP America produces are highly technical filters. The BMP company designs technical textiles, manufactures industrial products from these technical textiles in Medina, New York, and sells to major industrial manufactures around the world including Xerox, Kodak, Hewlett-Packard, Whirlpool, Electrolux, and Dyson. With BMP America’s technical textile knowledge and state-of-the-art processing equipment, we have designed the world’s lowest-cost highest filtration efficiency washable face mask on the market today. Our masks are available in both adult and child sizes and in an array of beautiful colors. Beyond our mask’s outstanding filtration efficiency, the BMP mask has incredible comfort due to the use of polyester/nylon microfibers which are 7 times finer than natural silk fibers.
“With the Covid pandemic continuing, the BMP America company has donated masks to local schools, businesses, and now to local community centers, continued Lebold. “Lebold BMP America has a long history of donating to important causes throughout the New York State area and this is just another one of these important causes!”
About the NY State PPE Manufacturers Association:
The NYSPPEMA is an association of 20 companies from across New York State manufacturing personal protective equipment. The association represents those companies that responded to the dire need for these products at the outset of the pandemic and ramped up their manufacturing of safe, reliable, and effective PPE. NYSPPEMA intends to continue this mission to aid in safeguarding the American people against the current pandemic, and to ensure that a sustainable domestic PPE supply chain is created to ensure New York and the United States is never caught unprepared again.
