Mayor Rusty Bailey Accepts Donation of 50,000 Masks From Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles

Published: 8/25/20

 

Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey met recently with representatives of the Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (TACCLA) to accept a generous donation of 50,000 face masks for use in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

The masks will be utilized by Riverside’s Emergency Operations Center to build the City’s inventory for community and city face mask needs.

TACCLA’s mask donation to the City of Riverside is part of a larger regional and national effort by the Taiwanese community to address needs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Kenneth Chen, President of TACCLA.

At the onset of the COVID19 pandemic, TACCLA in collaboration with the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of North America (TCCNA) and its network of 32 other Taiwanese-American chambers, raised $800,000 to procure 10 million medical-grade face masks from Taiwan. The procurement of these face masks was made possible after the Taiwanese government reached national stockpile thresholds and made surplus face masks available for the international community.  These face masks have been distributed across TCCNA’s network in the United States and Canada for donation in their respective communities. 

Locally, TACCLA’s “Million Face Masks for Greater Los Angeles” program launched in June to provide TCCNA acquired face masks to the most at-need groups, including nursing home, healthcare providers, local districts, first responders, and local jurisdictions including San Gabriel, Garden Grove, Moreno Valley, and Los Angeles.