MELBOURNE, May 14, 2020 — Gates (NYSE: GTES), a leading global provider of application-specific fluid power and power transmission solutions, announced charitable donations of more than $535,000 ($USD) in support of organisations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Directed by the company’s global headquarters in Denver, Colorado United States, the Gates Industrial Corporation Foundation (Foundation) is working with nearly 100 Gates facilities around the world to identify and help fund local nonprofits that are making a difference. The Royal Melbourne Hospital COVID-19 appeal will receive a total of $7,700 ($AUD).
“Gates’ global charitable initiative is intended to empower local organisations. We’re tapping into local knowledge to address area-specific needs,” said Carl McGowan, Managing Director, Gates Australia. “Here in Victoria, Australia, we’ve been able to direct our support to The Royal Melbourne Hospitals COVID-19 Appeal making an impact in all of the communities we call home.”
The Royal Melbourne Hospital is right at the centre of combatting COVID-19 here in Victoria. The Royal Melbourne Hospital one of five global WHO Collaborating Centers for Research on Influenza, and also operate the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Lab (VIDRL). They already have special equipment, isolation units and research facilities where they are treating patients of COVID-19. The Royal Melbourne Hospital is also working with international partners on a vaccine.
Responding quickly to the global outbreak, Gates initiated the charitable initiative with a substantial donation to the Hubei Charity Federation to support the medical needs in the area where the virus is believed to have originated. The aid campaign now spans other parts of South and North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa; Greater China; and East Asia and India, including 17 locations across the United States. Among the recipient organisations are chapters of large NGOs, such as the United Way and the American Red Cross, as well as local hospitals, food banks and other humanitarian organizations.
Donations, totaling more than $535,000 ($USD), are being provided on an unrestricted basis to allow recipient charities maximum flexibility to address the most urgent needs in their area. Among those are Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline medical professionals and health care services and food and housing for the most vulnerable populations impacted by the pandemic.
In addition to its worldwide charitable donation initiative, Gates continues to actively monitor, manage and adapt to the evolving pandemic. Thanks to prompt implementation of COVID-19 safety protocols at all of its approximately 100 plants, offices, labs and distribution centers around the world, Gates has been able to continue serving its customers and maintain employment levels while protecting the health and safety team members, their families and communities.