Erie County Legislator Ed Rath collected six boxes of N95 masks and delivered them to healthcare workers at Brothers of Mercy in Clarence and the Weinberg Campus in Getzville Wednesday morning. The masks were noted by Chris and Kirk Graham of Volland Electric Equipment Corporation in Cheektowaga.

Legislator Rath said, “It was my pleasure to deliver masks on behalf of Volland Electric. As we continue to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, these supplies are in great demand among employees in the healthcare field. Protecting their health and safety, as well as the health and safety of patients and residents is important. We are grateful for the tireless work being done by healthcare workers and all essential employees. I thank Chris and Kirk for reaching out to help them in this time of need.”

Chris Graham, CEO of Volland Electric said, “Much to my surprise, we received our order of N95 masks on Friday that we regularly have in stock. I told our manager that I did not want these to be put in our inventory to sell as I have heard a lot about the need for these in the health care industry. Our company takes pride in being able to help out where possible, and this is the least we could do.”

Robert Mayer, President and CEO of Weinberg Campus said, “One of the biggest challenges facing health care providers in the fight against the COVID-19 virus has been extreme shortages of protective equipment for staff and patients. Lack of adequate quantities of face masks has been especially troubling. That’s why we are so grateful to Erie County Legislator Ed Rath, who was able to procure 30 N95 respirator masks for Weinberg Campus. This vital equipment enhances our ability to care for the vulnerable elderly population we serve. Our staff and residents send our thanks to Legislator Rath.”

Peter Eimer, CEO of Brothers of Mercy said, “We really appreciate this donation. We don’t know what the future holds, so we continue to anticipate a need for supplies. In the meantime, this was a great contribution.”