WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the number of COVID-19 cases surges across the country, Shell Oil Company has announced it will contribute more than one million pieces of PPE to communities and medical care facilities from coast to coast. Extra face shields, non-medical masks and nitrile gloves are now arriving in some of the hardest hit areas of the country.
“When the lockdown happened in mid-March, we wanted to understand what was really needed in our communities,” said Gretchen Watkins, president, Shell Oil Company. “We made sure we continued to provide products and services without disruption and instituted additional, COVID-related precautions at our stations across the US.”
At the start of the pandemic, Shell converted several of its plants to produce liquid hand sanitizer. The company has so far donated more than 7,700 gallons to offices of emergency management, medical and elder care facilities, local community school districts and universities.
Additionally, Shell donated 132,000 gallons of isopropyl alcohol for use in the production of surgical grade disinfectant wipes.
“When we saw the impacts of the pandemic on our community health systems, we immediately started to focus on the best ways to play our part in helping Americans get through this – especially in the communities in which we work. That’s what neighbors do,” added Watkins.
To date, Shell has donated more than $4.5 million to help communities across the U.S. respond to the pandemic. Shell’s total contribution is mostly made up of in-kind contributions of PPE, meals, fuel, and hand sanitizer to front-line responders, medical and educational institutions. The cash contributions include donations to community relief organizations, food banks, mental health services and, through a national employee match program, more than 175 local organizations across 24 states.
In Texas and Louisiana, Shell has provided more than $2 million in cash and in-kind contributions to support COVID-19 relief efforts. That includes 900,000 pieces of PPE across 14 local organizations.
“These donations from Shell are allowing us to help our regions in most need meet the demands of this third surge we are experiencing in Louisiana,” said Joe Ganote, director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management Region 3. “Region 3 – our Bayou Parishes of Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John, Assumption and Terrebonne – have the lowest per capita ICU capacity in the state, so these donations are even more vital to assist our healthcare workers in slowing the spread in this important region.”
