Cooper, Norcross Foundations To Donate 41K Masks Amid Pandemic

The Cooper Foundation and the Norcross Foundation will provide more than 41,000 free, reusable facemasks to police, fire, EMS personnel, and educators in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the health system announced on Friday.

“Throughout the pandemic, first responders continued to serve residents,” Cooper University Health Care Board of Trustees Chairman George E. Norcross III said. “Soon, teachers will be back in the classroom, and we want to ensure they have masks to help them stay healthy and safe as they serve our community.”

This is the second phase of facemask distribution. In May, the foundations announced that they would give out more than 175,000 facemasks amid the pandemic. Read more here: Cooper, Norcross Foundations To Give Out 175K Masks Amid Pandemic

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During the first phase, thousands of individuals, families, and community groups received masks, as Camden County Police and municipal leaders helped with the distribution efforts. With this and additional planned distributions, more than 275,000 masks will be provided throughout the community, according to Cooper Health.

"Cooper's commitment to the health and well-being of its citizens and the essential workers who are keeping it running during these difficult days includes doing what it can to help workers stay safe — and that means wearing face masks,” Cooper Foundation Chair Philip A. Norcross said.
Officials at Cooper will work directly with first responder agencies and school administrators in the community to distribute the facemasks to members of those groups.

“The health of the community is always our top priority. We are grateful to our first responders and educators, and we want to reduce their risk of infection as they serve others,” Cooper co-CEO Kevin O’Dowd said.

“This facemask giveaway is another way we can say ‘thank you’ and support the efforts of police, fire, EMS personnel, and teachers throughout the community,” Cooper co-CEO Anthony J. Mazzarelli said.

See related: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know