Meijer Donates 750,000 KN95 Face Masks to Assist Frontline Workers and First Responders

Retailer continues ongoing efforts to protect team members and its communities

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May 11, 2020, 12:13 ET

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Meijer announced today that it procured and has already begun distributing 750,000 KN95 face masks to help frontline workers and first responders throughout the Midwest. The retailer is working with COVID-19 Emergency Response Teams or municipal health departments to centrally manage the distribution to healthcare workers or first responders in those states to ensure those who need them most get them quicker.

The face masks will be provided to government agencies, hospital systems, law enforcement agencies and other first responders in many of the communities Meijer serves, primarily in Michigan and Ohio. These include Macomb and Oakland counties in Michigan and the City of Detroit, as well as the Michigan State Police. Those entities will then be able to distribute the masks as needed.

"We've seen an incredible amount of strength and courage from Michiganders during this time of uncertainty, whether it's from communities donating food, money and resources to those that need it or from businesses using their technology to manufacture personal protective equipment," Governor Gretchen Whitmer said. "This action from Meijer will help us protect frontline workers and slow the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan. I'm proud to work with Meijer and every business that steps up during this time to protect Michigan families."

In addition to the face masks, the retailer has also procured and donated various personal protective equipment like face masks, gloves and medication to various COVID-19 Emergency Response Teams. For example, Meijer donated 2,000 vials of insulin and 2,000 vials of albuterol to the State of Michigan for distribution in southeast Michigan; 60,000 N95 face masks to the State of Michigan; 1.75 million pairs of powdered vinyl gloves to the City of Detroit; and 4,000 N95 face masks to the State of Kentucky.

"We are proud of our Procurement Team for helping us secure these much-needed masks and we continue to do our part in keeping our team members and the communities we serve safe during these challenging times," Meijer President & Chief Executive Officer Rick Keyes said. "We're pleased to have this opportunity and continue to look for ways to help our team members, customers and communities navigate through this new normal."

It's the retailer's latest effort to protect its team members, customers and communities from COVID-19 while doing its best to curb the spread of the virus. To see what else Meijer is doing in response to this virus, please visit http://newsroom.meijer.com.

About Meijer: Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 248 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. A privately-owned and family-operated company since 1934, Meijer pioneered the "one-stop shopping" concept and has evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive apparel departments, pet departments, garden centers, toys and electronics. For additional information on Meijer, please visit www.meijer.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/Meijer and @twitter.com/MeijerPR or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.