News

N.J. Lawmaker Donates $25K Worth of PPE to First Responders

Steve Strunsky

04/04/2020

NJ Advance Media Group, Edison, N.J.

The personal foundation of State Sen. Vin Gopal (D-11th District) is donating thousands of breathing masks, latex gloves and bottles of hand sanitizer to five hospitals and 75 police departments and first aid squads in Monmouth County, the senator announced Friday.

The Vin Gopal Foundation raised $25,000 for the protective gear and other supplies needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak, raised through private donations under a drive led by Gopal and Eatontown Police Chief Bill Lucia, intended specifically for recipients in Monmouth County.

“Why we are doing our own operation here is to make sure donations go to Monmouth, which is where donors want it to go,” Gopal said in an email.

He said shipments of 1,400 gloves each would go out Saturday to the five hospitals: CentraState Hospital in Freehold; Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel; Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch; Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune; and Riverview Hospital in Red Bank.

In addition to raising cash, Gopal said the drive received direct donations of personal protective equipment, or PPE, from area suppliers, including thousands of masks from Community Surgical Supply, which is based in Toms River.

Gopal said that while the donations are private, he will report them to state health authorities for the sake of tracking the distribution of coronavirus-related supplies.

Additional protective gear will go out to first responders at a total of 75 agencies from more than half the county’s 53 municipalities, from the Aberdeen Police Department to the West Long Branch First Aid Squad, said Gopal, a former volunteer EMT in Colts Neck and Freehold. The 34-year-old politician, a Long Branch resident, chaired the county Democratic party before being elected to the Senate in November 2017.

Gopal said a second round of fundraising is underway, and he invited organizations in need of supplies to apply online. Would-be donors should visit www.vingopalcivic.org.