Early in the morning on Wednesday, April 15, a donation of 35,000 medical gloves and roughly 150 N95 masks was delivered to Cambridge Memorial Hospital on behalf of the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB). This is the second donation made by the WRDSB in support of local healthcare workers.

Although schools are closed, over the past few weeks staff have been busy taking an inventory of the medical supplies that were available in our schools. These supplies were organized for delivery to area hospitals.

The donations were delivered personally by Ian Gaudet, controller of facility services at the WRDSB. He wanted to express his gratitude for the efforts of healthcare workers.

“Thank you for everything that all the hospital staff do for our community,” said Gaudet.

Lisa Short, the executive director of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation, expressed her sincere thanks for the donation, adding that it exemplified the power of community partnerships.

“At times like this, to see the community coming together in so many wonderful ways in support of our hospital is outstanding,” said Short. “We can’t thank the WRDSB enough for thinking of Cambridge Memorial Hospital and for helping us be at our very best for our community.”

Patrick Gaskin, CEO of Cambridge Memorial Hospital, also wanted to share his gratitude for this donation.

“This is one more example of how our community is working together to support our hospital. This donation gives us an extra layer of comfort to know we are ready and have additional supplies on hand to support our team of front line staff at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Thank you to the WRDSB for reaching out and sharing your resources with us.”

Our partner organizations, too, are playing their part in supporting our community. Just last week, the Waterloo Education Foundation Inc. (WEFI) committed $50,000 to support Nutrition for Learning’s ongoing efforts. The service they provide to our students and their families is instrumental in combating food insecurity.

We will continue our commitment to our community, as we support and meet the needs of our students, families, and staff. If you are able, we encourage you to give back and support frontline workers and organizations as they work tirelessly to provide to those who are most in need. Giving back can mean many things; it can be a monetary donation, volunteering, helping your neighbours, or posting thank you messages in your windows to show gratitude.

We are here for our community and will do our part. We know you will too.