By Allison Gogarty
While the COVID-19 pandemic has many parents suddenly donning the hat of teacher, some Morristown residents have been inspired to take on another role: Philanthropist.
There are organized efforts to produce homemade face masks, to support the town’s many restaurants still in operation, and to provide meals for local healthcare workers.
One of these homegrown operations is a fundraising campaign to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as N95 masks and face shields to donate to Morristown Medical Center. As the pandemic has surged, these critical items have been in short supply. Enter Morristown neighbors Jeremy Gulish and Michael Morris.
They created Masks for Morristown, a GoFundMe drive that has raised more than $44,000 and provided 3,300 KN95 masks, 2,000 surgical masks and 800 face shields in its first month.
Gulish is a realtor who heads up The Gulish Group through Keller Williams, and Morris is president of DuraBrite Lighting Solutions, a commercial LED lighting company.
Multiple members of The Gulish Group have significant others on the front lines at Morristown Medical Center, and as the COVID-19 situation escalated they began to hear of the dire need for PPE and wanted to find a way to help.
During a conversation (appropriately socially distanced) walking around their neighborhood, Morris mentioned he would be donating masks to his clients in the Hudson County Sheriff’s department.
DuraBrite manufactures in China and Morris’s business partner, Dr. Ching Au, has many contacts and supplier connections there, making it possible to navigate the supply chain and access these items that have otherwise proved so hard to come by.
“There have certainly been stories of unscrupulous vendors and middlemen taking advantage of this situation,” said Morris. “But Dr. Au has been invaluable in navigating this challenging buying environment and making sure we are getting high quality masks that will protect the medical professionals.”
Once he knew the product could be obtained, Gulish took to GoFundMe, with an initial goal of $10,000 to purchase N95 masks for the doctors and nurses on the front lines at Morristown Medical Center.
The generous and tight-knit Morristown community took the ball and ran with it. Since March 20, 2020, more than 560 people have contributed. The drive continues.
Through another of Morris’ contacts, the face shields were fabricated closer to home by a family on Long Island. They had closed their factory to protect their workers, but opened up for one night to produce the masks for Morristown’s medical professionals.
An additional order for more than 30,000 three-ply masks, identified by hospital leadership as a current priority, will begin arriving throughout the remainder of April.
“As long as the supply chain remains open and the need exists we will continue to raise money for these critical supplies,” said Gulish.
“The hospital has been incredibly supportive. We are speaking with doctors on the front lines and administrative staff daily to ensure we are getting them what is needed most.”
The duo said they also will try to procure protective gowns, also in short supply right now.
