Lending a helping hand during the Covid-19 relief effort
People across the Midlands are doing what they can to help during the coronavirus pandemic. Here are a few examples from industry, religion, and education.
East Midlands Railway
They have donated £2,500 to food banks in the region.
£1,500 has been donated to Rural Action Derbyshire, £500 to Boston Food Bank in Lincolnshire, and a further £500 to The Lyme Trust in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
The money donated will help buy supplies for food parcels, and go towards home delivery costs for food banks who have had to find alternative ways of getting food to the people that need it, but can't come to collect it.
Volunteers deliver food and treat parcels to those without friends or family to rely on
Birmingham student creates 1,000-strong volunteering group to help during the COVID-19 outbreak
The Guru Ravidass Bhawan Temple
The temple in Handsworth, Birmingham, is donating food packs to nurses and doctors working on the late shifts in A&E departments and emergency services locally.
On average around 150 food packs have been delivered daily since mid-March to Birmingham City Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham Children's Hospital, and West Bromwich Fire Station.
They've also delivered the packs to West Bromwich Ambulance, as well as vulnerable members of the community.
Restaurants in Leicester and Coventry offer free food for NHS workers
West Midlands food banks receive over 30,000 items after urgent appeal
Q3 Academy Tipton
Staff at the academy are going to make PPE Equipment for NHS Workers, after successfully raising more than £2,000 to purchase materials.
They initially donated all face masks and goggles from their technology and science departments, which went to New Cross Hospital and Russells Hall Hospital.
The academy then produced an initial run of 60 face visors, which they say were donated to Northway Medical Centre in Dudley.
They were able to create them after teachers in a social media group shared laser files and 3D printing files on how to produce face visors that met safety requirements.
The academy is hoping to donate over 4,000 face visors to NHS staff and care homes across the West Midlands.
At the time of writing, they have raised £2,524, with £1,000 of that donated by an anonymous donor.
So far, the school say that they have produced over 1,453 visors, which have been donated to: Dudley Care Commissioning Group (CCG) for central distribution, Lindon Hall Care home, Richmond Court Care Home, Cherries Nursing Home, and other care homes local to the academy.
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