ETSU hosts another day to donate medical supplies at drive-through site

JOHNSON CITY (April 15, 2020) – The community will have another opportunity to donate medical supplies and thank you cards to health care workers and first responders at a drive-through, no-contact collection drive at East Tennessee State University on Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The drive-through collection site will be open on the first floor of the ETSU parking garage, located at 1043 Jack Vest Drive. This is the second drive-through collection drive that the ETSU students have sponsored in partnership with the Washington County Emergency Management Agency.

“The first drive that we held last week was so successful that we decided to do it again,” said Victoria Stabile, a third-year Quillen College of Medicine student who organized the effort. “The community responded generously and enthusiastically last week, and we want to offer one more opportunity for people to drive through and donate.”

The students are requesting donations of hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, liquid hand soap, non-latex gloves, procedure/surgical masks, N95 masks, hand-sewn masks, surgical gowns, face shields, safety goggles and thank you cards for local first responders and health care workers.

“There is a big need for N95 masks, so we really want to encourage people to look around to see if they might have any of these masks,” Stabile said. “They might have a stash of N95 masks at home that they aren't aware of – from home renovation projects, such as sanding, grinding, or sawing projects.”

Last weekend, the students collected more than 200 masks of various kinds, more than 5,000 gloves, 50 surgical gowns, 27 Tyvek lab coats, 65 thank you cards, and boxes of cleaning supplies, soap and other miscellaneous items.

“Once again, all of the donations we collect this Saturday will benefit health care workers and first responders right here in our community, and we appreciate every donation—no matter how big or small,” Stabile said.   

Donors will not have to exit their vehicles at the drop-off site.

“There will be donation bins set up so that donors can open their car windows and place their donations into a bin,” Stabile said. “We will have a separate bin set up to gather the thank you cards.”

The collection drive is a continuation of Quillen students’ ongoing efforts to gather much-needed supplies for local health care workers. If anyone has supplies to donate and is unable to attend the collection dates, contact Stabile at stabile@etsu.edu or 423-212-1290 to make other arrangements.