By Maria Saporta
In a show of unity, the Chinese-American community in Atlanta arranged for the donation of 11,000 medical mask to Grady Hospital on Thursday.
The donation of Chinese-made masks was made possible through contributions from the Chinese and Asian community, mostly from Atlanta.
“We want to use love to drive out the hate, which Asians are feeling right now,” said Sarah Hsi, chief information officer of the United Way of Greater Atlanta. “It was a feel-good experience.”
When the Chinese community became aware of the dangerous shortage of medical masks at local hospitals, it responded by working to deliver masks from China to local hospitals.
Hsi said that because there are not flights between China and the United States, “it’s very difficult to ship these masks.” Hsi
said it also took quite a bit of effort to arrange for the donation and finding the right people who were authorized to accept the shipment.
Milton Little, president of Atlanta’s United Way, was able to step in and help.
“Sometimes you know the right people to call,” Little said.
Once samples were verified by Grady Hospital, they were finally able to schedule the shipment for Thursday at noon. In all, 10,000 surgical masks and 1,000 N95 anti-Coronavirus face masks were included in the shipment.
All the shipping boxes had signs stating: “In Love We Connect.” The Chinese words on the sign mean: “Love has no borders.”
The effort is part of a greater initiative to create a sense of togetherness between the Asian-American community and the Atlanta community.
A Facebook page titled Atlanta Asian Community Acts of Kindness Against COVID-19 describes different ways people are helping address the needs in metro Atlanta. Medical masks also have been delivered to Northside Hospital and Emory Hospital.
Little also said the donation from the Asian-American community symbolized the humanity that exists in our region.
“It’s fabulous,” Little said. “It’s reflective of the fact that people, no matter who they are or where they come from, have compassion and come to the aid of those in need however they can.”
