Our Mission

Saving lives through the timely provision of PPE to members of our most needy communities and the frontline personnel serving them

Volunteer-led & Cost-effective

We work diligently to eliminate overhead at every stage - ensuring that we are purchasing, shipping, and delivering our supplies with the most efficiency and at the lowest cost.  All of our work is voluntary. Every mask we have bought to date is at cost, or has been donated.  We buy masks directly from the manufacturer, Argosy International, at 12 cents each.  Our freight and distribution have generously been donated by Flexport.org, minimizing shipping costs.  W2O, Tinuiti, and Bounteous have all donated marketing support, and Kirkland & Ellis are providing pro bono legal services.

How We Identify our Recipients During the COVID-19 Pandemic:

  • Identify high risk geographies:

    • Lower socio-economic areas of major cities

    • Specific rural areas

  •  Identify populations of high need:

    • Underserved communities with high proportions of Black, Indigenous, and/or Latinx residents

    • Native American communities

    • Seniors

    • People with preexisting conditions

    • Healthcare workers

    • First responders

  • Identify specific organizations with known high need:

    • Examples include:  aged care facilities, jails & prisons, homeless shelters, community clinics (primary care, substance abuse, behavioral health etc.), and underfunded school systems.

    • Those providing meals, services, and housing to needy communities

  • Utilize a clear and timely data-driven decision making process for targeting donations, maximizing the potential to save the most lives

  • Identify a partner(s) to assist in the targeting and distribution of donated materials

  • Follow-up after each major donation to assess timeliness and effectiveness of our work

 
A huge THANK YOU to you, Phil, Ross, and George and to everyone involved at NEAR. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and your generosity of spirit.
— Bill Torres, The Ali Forney Center