NATIONAL CITY – The community of National City received a large donation of much-needed and essential PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) from Last Mile San Diego, a grassroots volunteer group whose mission is to protect healthcare workers and communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are Last Mile volunteer groups in multiple states and cities throughout the US.
On Wednesday morning, January 27, as part of a coordinated effort to connect PPE from LA and Orange County donors, Mayor Sotelo-Solis and Last Mile SD Co-founder Amy Aminlari, coordinated this massive effort with partners from the Labor community.
Several big rig trucks were driven down by Teamsters local 542 and unloaded by Ironworkers local 229, which included distribution of over 128,000 bottles of 16oz hand sanitizer and 8,000 thermometers.
The recipient organizations from the region included National School District, Sweetwater High School, Granger Junior High, National City Middle School, City of National City, City of Chula Vista, United Domestic Workers, Teamsters local 542, Ironworkers local 229 and San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council as well as hospitals in Tijuana, long term care facilities and local small businesses in National City.
Mayor Sotelo-Solis shared, “It is a true team effort to have received this PPE for our impacted communities, but it is even more important now that we continue to have the essential PPE necessary as we begin to roll out our vaccine efforts because we need to continue wearing our masks and PPE until we reach herd immunity (75% of our entire community to be vaccinated).”
Aminlari stated, “Thank you to everyone for allowing us to be a part of this fight against Covid 19 pandemic. Without necessary PPE we cannot protect those at risk and we cannot help to prevent the spread! As we are surging, and National City amongst the highest in our area, these PPE are still in shortage and greatly needed. We are so grateful to Mayor Sotelo-Solis for passionately advocating for our cause to protect the community, and for bringing together such an amazing team to make this donation and delivery possible.
Social distancing guidelines and all health protocols were followed.
The Last Mile San Diego chapter was founded at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, by a San Diego Emergency Physician, Amy Aminlari, who was afflicted with COVID-19 and noticed that other frontline providers across San Diego lacked access to adequate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). Co-lead by Amy Aminlari and Alan Kenny, their dedicated and amazing volunteers come together from diverse backgrounds and experiences to serve a common mission: to procure and deliver scarce PPE to frontline healthcare providers in need, and to protect underserved, under resourced communities at highest risk of COVID-19.
National City is San Diego County’s second oldest city. True to its motto, “In the Center of It All,” the National City community is home to over 61,000 residents, 3000 businesses, a part of U.S. Naval Base San Diego, and the National City Marine Terminal of the Unified Port of San Diego, the most advanced vehicle import and export facility on the West Coast. (National City Mayor’s Office Release)
