HOUSTON – As COVID-19 continues to sweep through the country, a nonprofit Hindu faith-based charity called SEWA is doing its part in Houston to help keep the community safe.
The charity was able to accumulate a stockpile of 28,000 N95 face masks, gloves, and sanitizers that are available to first responders who request them. They still have about 3,000 face masks available, according to ABC13 in Houston.
Gitesh Dewai, a volunteer with the nonprofit, said they are donating life-saving supplies all across the country.
"We started donating from our supply and we shipped to San Mateo County in California in the Bay Area," Dewai said. "We provided this in Georgia and in the New York, New Jersey area. I'm getting text messages from Pennsylvania and Chicago."
The group has placed orders for an additional 300,000 face masks.
Dr. Radha Rao, a physician at Baylor College of Medicine and a volunteer with the charity, said supplies will not last much longer.
"If this continues for more than four to six weeks we will run out," Rao said.
SEWA also donates meals to local first-responders in the Houston area and manages a group of doctors via social media to receive updates on their needs and issues, according to ABC13.
As of April 12, Texas reported 13,484 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 271 deaths. Harris County leads the state with 3,561 confirmed cases of COVID-19, more than double No. 2 Dallas County at 1,644.
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