I was first against writing about personal charity work efforts as I believe all good works should be kept private and its work offered to God and not for people to see. But in this case, Bloomiere as a company funded a lot of our Covid-related efforts, our employees donated time and sleepless nights in crafting shields for hospitals and I would like to believe that many customers choose Bloomiere because of our advocacy to help the community. (we never solicit any monetary donation from clients)
Here's what we have accomplished so far:
March-May: we spearheaded a volunteer group called @faceshieldsforfrontliners (this is searchable in FB & IG) together with some friends. Our main goal was to provide DIY face shields to as many front-liners as possible.
To jumpstart the manufacturing side, Bloomiere donated initial funds to purchase materials for volunteers, and our own employees worked on faceshields round the clock as well. The group was able to gain recognition and funds started pouring in from civilians and businesses who believed in our cause. From initially only Bloomiere employees, we were able to get 100 household volunteers to start making faceshields alongside us.
But the demand for shields was too great and our household volunteer production could not keep up to the shield requests of hospitals.
When God calls us to act, He provides a solution. I was able to organize a temporary production facility where we hired displaced workers who have no income due to the lockdown. We hired tricycle drivers, cleaners, housewives, seamstresses etc in low-income communities to make faceshields as well as admin staff, packers and logistics personnel for the dispatching and deliveries. In doing so, we were able to provide jobs as well as donate PPEs to frontliners!
As of this writing, @faceshieldsforfrontliners group was able to distribute a total of 42,825 faceshields, 2000 N95 masks and 300 ppe bodysuits.
While Bloomiere as a company gave quarantine sales proceeds amounting P64,000 that went to faceshield material costs, donated aerosol boxes and cloth masks, monetary donations to relief-goods distribution and cash assistance to poverty-stricken families.
I would like to commend Bloomiere employees who contributed an aggregate total of 1000 hours of work time to organize, segregate and assemble with me. We were beyond exhausted but our hearts were full and the determination to help save lives kept us going.
These efforts are not anywhere near the level of multinational corporations and highly publicized actors/actresses COVID campaigns, but I'm writing this now to encourage you all that a small idea, that small sacrifice you plan to make can make a big difference in someone else's life. God does not look at the size of what you gave, God looks at the heart.
Let's win this fight!
Marie