CHICAGO — Grainger has donated 1.7 million face coverings to Children First Fund (CFF) to help ensure teachers, students and staff in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have the face coverings they need for a safe school year. The donation includes 1.2 million cloth reusable face coverings and 500,000 disposable face coverings, which are critical resources that will supplement CPS' existing inventory.
A portion of the donation was used this summer to support the Summer Return to Play programming for sports across the district. Moving into the school year, an additional portion of the face coverings will be used to support teachers, staff and students for supplemental programming, Fall Return to Play sports, and more, as well as to support families and staff at Child Learning Hubs.
"As we work to ensure the health and safety of our school communities, we are grateful for the support and leadership of Chicago companies," said CPS CEO, Dr. Janice K. Jackson. "This generous donation from Grainger helps us respond to the evolving needs of our students and staff, continue to provide masks for our essential staff in school buildings, and be prepared to welcome school communities back when it is safe to do so."
The donation to CFF combines Grainger's expertise as a leading supplier of safety products and solutions with its community affairs focus on disaster preparedness and response, and education.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Grainger has been an "essential business" providing hardware, safety, personal protective equipment and other MRO products to customers, including government agencies, hospitals, ﬁrst responders, food producers, utilities, pharmaceutical manufacturers and those that work in critical infrastructure sectors.
"As a company founded and headquartered in the Chicago area, we think it's critical to help our neighbors stop the spread of COVID-19," said Grainger Chairman and CEO, DG Macpherson. "Our access to supplies like face coverings puts us in a unique position during this global emergency to help support the work, education and wellbeing of the residents in our communities during these challenging times."
"Grainger's generous donation of 1.7 million face coverings provides an essential item to ensure the safety of our CPS school communities," said CFF Interim Executive Director, Mica Matsoff. "We are grateful to Grainger and all of our partners across Chicago who have rallied together to help us promote a safe, supportive and equitable school year for all."
Grainger was founded in Chicago in 1927. Today, the company operates 19 locations across Illinois, including three branches in Chicago and an office at theMART.
For more information about Grainger's efforts to support communities, visit www.graingercsr.com.
For more information about the steps Grainger is taking to prioritize health and safety during the pandemic, visit www.grainger.com/content/coronavirus-covid-19-update.