The following story was originally written and produced by the World Journal and translated into English by Rong Xiaoqing. The translation was made possible thanks to financial support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. The story is being republished here with permission from the World Journal and is available for republication with full attribution by all NJ News Commons members. For more information about this program or for republication rules, contact the Center for Cooperative Media at [email protected].
Chinese Companies, Buddhist Center Donate PPE to NJ Townships and Hospitals
By World Journal Staff, May 11, 2020
Note: With permission from the publication, this piece was translated and edited for clarity.
East Brunswick, one of the COVID-19 hardest-hit towns in New Jersey, has a big concentration of Chinese immigrants. In an effort to serve the community, Kezhao Ning, chief executive officer of Zhongshan CASSIEY Biotechnology, a company whose headquarters are in Zhongshan, China, donated 20,000 face masks to East Brunswick Township to help medical workers and first-responders fighting against the coronavirus.
Ning, with the help of Jane Mueller, a member of the zoning board of East Brunswick, and Simon Chu, chair of Cornerstone Financial Strategies, delivered 10 boxes of FDA-certified face masks to the office of East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen.
Cohen, who accepted the masks on behalf of East Brunswick residents, presented Ning, Mueller and Chu a proclamation to thank them for their help during this pandemic.
“Your attempt to reach out around the globe and the commitment of those in China to respond restores my faith in humanity,” the proclamation said.
Buddhist Center donates masks
Fo Guang Shan New Jersey Buddhist Culture Center, located in South Plainfield, NJ, also donated masks in various parts of the state.
Fo Guang Shan staff members Shulan Hwang, Chi Sun, Melody Tsai, Weelam Awyoung, and Mike Tsai went to the post office in Edison, Piscataway, and South Plainfield, donating a total of 2,000 masks. Managers of these post offices accepted the donation.
Paul Tong, Yiwen Chiang, Hsing Ling Kong, Tayu Chang, and Pen Chiang of the Center also delivered 9,000 masks to three hospitals of the Robert Wood Johnson University, including the RWJ Somerset Hospital, RWJ Monmouth Hospital and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
Angela Lee, the patient navigator for the Chinese Medical Program at RWJ Somerset and Stephanie Zou, director of the multi-ethnic medical department, accepted the face masks.
The Fo Guang Shan team then went to Saint Peter’s Hospital to donate 3,000 face masks. Jim Choma，executive Director of St. Peter ’s Medical System Foundation, accepted the donation.
In addition, the team also donated 2,600 masks to the South Plainfield City Hall, City Council, senior centers and senior apartments. The donation was accepted by Mayor Mattew P. Anesh and Council President Christine Faustini. Anesh thanked the Center for its contribution to the community.