Thanks from Penneys: the high street store is delivering thousands of care packs to frontline workers

The sacrifices frontline workers have been making on a daily basis in the fight against the coronavirus hasn't been far from anyone's mind in recent months.

The stark reality of their situation has been consistently documented across mainstream and social media, and there are very few of us who don't have a friend or family member working on the frontline at this very moment in time. With that in mind, it's always heartening to hear of any effort which is made to assist, support or comfort those at the epicentre of this global crisis. As a thank you to all those individuals, Penneys is donating 6,000 care packs filled with over 45,000 products including leggings, T-shirts, underwear, socks, and pyjama sets for HSE frontline workers and patients in several hospitals across Ireland, all of which are boxed and delivered by Penneys volunteers. The move is a response to calls from health authorities and charities for urgent supplies of everyday items. Indeed, Penneys' care packs will be given to busy staff working back to back shifts or who are staying away from home, often to protect their families from infection. They will also be offered to patients who have no means of getting a fresh change of clothes or toiletries from home. So far, care packs have been distributed to 21 hospitals in Ireland including the Mater Hospital, Tallaght University Hospital, Sligo University Hospital, Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, Naas General Hospital, Letterkenny University Hospital, Beaumont Hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda, as well as patients at the Citywest facility which was set up at Citywest Hotel and Conference Centre to treat people with Covid-19. Commenting on the effort, Paul Marchant, the CEO of Penneys/Primark said: “This is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the healthcare heroes working tirelessly in the fight against COVID-19. We are proud to be able to provide much-needed everyday items like underwear, T-shirts and towels and hope this will make things a little easier at the end of long shifts." "I also want to thank all our colleagues who have played their part, volunteering to pack, coordinate and deliver care packs to hospitals, charities and other healthcare organisations, to help frontline workers and patients across Europe and the US," he added. Acknowledging the efforts made by the retailer, Mater Hospital CEO, Alan Sharp, said: "Penneys care packs will be welcomed by our staff as they finish a shift and prepare for another, and we are grateful to receive clothing and toiletries for patients who have no means of getting their own. " "It’s a great example of how the private sector can partner with hospitals to make a real difference when it matters most.” Over the past three weeks, Primark volunteers have also delivered care parks around the UK, as well as to hospitals and care facilities in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany and Boston.