David Uy, Executive Director of the Chinese American Museum Foundation in Washington D.C., discloses the role which the museum has decided to play during the unfolding of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to documents provided by Uy, the museum has donated approximately 100,000 units of personal protective equipment (PPE) to local facilities, civic organizations, and first responders on the front lines of the pandemic. The donation was mainly facilitated by board members Philip Qiu and Neil Chen to expedite the manufacturing and shipment of supplies. They realized that the respiratory face masks played the most critical roles to reduce the risk, with the help of the 1882 Foundation, OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, and other partner organizations, the donated masks would be distributed among various recipients in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. While the museum itself is forced to remain closed during the crisis, it is involved in the community through its acts of philanthropy.

The above image shows OCA’s David and Penny Yao with Hagerstown Hospital (Maryland) staff, and below is a nice video message from one of the recipients, Fairfax Inova Hospital.