On May 22, 2020, Norwalk Mayor Harry W. Rilling was joined by Grace Farms Foundation and the Norwalk Police Department at City Hall to accept a donation of 11,000 surgical masks. Rod Khattabi, Chief Accountability Officer & Justice Initiative Director with Grace Farms, presented the Mayor with the donation at a special event outside of City Hall. The masks were loaded into police vehicles by Community Police Officers Delgado, Holms, Salley, and Abruzzini. Norwalk Police will be distributing masks to those in need as they patrol the city to enforce local and state regulations.

“I am so appreciative of the continued generosity from Grace Farms. They are great partners and care deeply about the health and safety of our community. Their contributions will surely make a difference in Norwalk,” Mayor Rilling said. “Having our officers equipped with additional masks to hand out to the community when they don’t have a face covering will help keep people healthy. On behalf of the entire Norwalk community – thank you, Rod and Grace Farms for your ongoing support.”

Following the event at City Hall, Grace Farms donated 2,600 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Notre Dame Health and Rehabilitation in Norwalk. Including today’s donations, Grace Farms Foundation has donated and delivered nearly 130,000 pieces of PPE to the City of Norwalk, Norwalk Hospital, assisted living and other facilities in the city. In total, Grace Farms Foundation has donated more than 1.2 million pieces of PPE to health care workers and first responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of Norwalk continues to be proactive in procuring and distributing PPE to those with the most critical need. The City has purchased PPE, and received supplies from Grace Farms, the State, and the National Stock Pile. To date, more than 150,000 pieces of PPE have been distributed by the City of Norwalk, with pieces donated to the Norwalk Hospital, nonprofits, first responders, nursing homes, doctor’s offices, and small businesses.