Coronavirus: Santa Fe Springs family business donates personal protective equipment to SoCal hospitals amid pandemic
SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. (KABC) -- Amid widespread shortages during the coronavirus crisis, a Santa Fe Springs company is donating the personal protective equipment that it has in stock to emergency responders and about 20 hospitals across Southern California.
"We looked at our inventory and we have lab coats, we have sleeve protectors, we have bouffant caps, shoe covers, coveralls," said Ricky Chu, co-owner of Chu's Packaging Supplies. "So we're like, let's reach out to all the local hospitals and see who needs them and we'll just donate to them.
A month ago, the small business donated disposable coveralls to China to help with the shortage there.
"Now that China's back into production, they have enough supplies for themselves right now," Chu said. "And now, because the numbers are rising in the states, there's not enough supplies for the medical workers."
Chu's Packaging Supplies is offering whatever they have in stock to any hospital, emergency responder, cleanup crew or medical staff that is testing for or treating COVID-19.
Santa Fe Springs company donates coveralls to hospitals in China responding to outbreak
"For something like this, especially at a time like this, we could totally make profit off of it -- but we just don't want to," Chu said. "My parents, my sister, my family, the company - it's more important for us to make sure people are safe than for us to turn a profit on something."
Chu says the donations are their way of saying "thank you" to hard-working medical teams, so they're happy to see word starting to spread.
"People that saw it that knew people that worked at certain hospitals, or they personally work at a hospital or whatever, the word-of-mouth kept traveling," Chu said.
The company has been unable to provide face masks, due to skyrocketing prices as factories work to meet demand. Chu said some manufacturers and distributors have been price-gouging, so his company has chosen to avoid purchasing masks until supply goes back up.
