PORT, LOGISTICS VICTORY LOS ANGELES RECEIVE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT DONATION FROM
HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS

 

N95 Masks, Face Shields and Nitrile Gloves Will Go to Support Frontline Health Care Workers Battling COVID-19

 
LOS ANGELES – May 20, 2020 – The Port of Los Angeles and Logistics Victory Los Angeles (LoVLA) have received a donation of more than 11,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) from Harbor Freight Tools, a long-time customer at the Port of Los Angeles. The equipment will be distributed by LoVLA to various health and medical facilities throughout the City in the fight against COVID-19.
 
“We are greatly appreciative to Harbor Freight for this generous donation, as PPE equipment continues to be urgently needed by frontline health care workers throughout the region,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, who is also serving as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Chief Logistics Officer during the pandemic. “Harbor Freight is a great example of what the private sector can do to help during this pandemic.”
 
The Harbor Freight Tools donation includes 1,500 nitrile gloves, 500 N95 respirator masks, nearly 9,300 deluxe face shields, as well as 60 five-gallon spray bottles.
 
“We know how acute the need is for personal protective equipment, especially for the heroic healthcare workers on the front lines caring for COVID-19 patients,” said Eric Smidt, owner and founder of Harbor Freight Tools. “We’re grateful for their work and dedication and proud to partner with the Port of L.A. to deliver our PPE donations to hospitals in our hometown.”
 
Established in late March 2020 by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, LoVLA is a City of Los Angeles resource linking medical providers and workers in need of critical PPE supplies with suppliers of PPE equipment. Through supply chain optimization, City purchasing and donations, LoVLA has been able to facilitate the acquisition of millions of PPE units over the last six weeks for use by the region’s medical community.
 
Harbor Freight Tools was founded in Southern California in 1977, when 17-year-old Eric Smidt began transforming his father’s small sales business into a successful mail-order company. That first year, Smidt cut out the middlemen and sourced tools directly from the factories, realizing that if he could buy tools directly for less, he could pass the savings on to the customer. Today, Harbor Freight has over 1,000 stores across the country with over 20,000 employees. The company is still family-owned and remains true to its humble beginnings, while serving more than 40 million customers who depend on Harbor Freight’s quality and value to earn a living, repair their homes and cars and pursue their hobbies.
  
Suppliers of Personal Protective Equipment and entities in need of supplies during this health emergency are encouraged to register their resources and needs at LoVLA.org
 
If you are a registered garment and apparel manufacturer and you are interested in assisting in the effort to make non-medical masks or if need to purchase non-medical masks, please visit https://laprotects.org/ to find out more.
 
The Port of Los Angeles remains open with all terminals operational during the COVID-19 pandemic. North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $276 billion in trade during 2019. San Pedro Bay port complex operations and commerce facilitate one in nine jobs in the five-county Southern California region.


Media Contacts:
 
Phillip Sanfield
Director of Media Relations
(310) 732-3568

EMAIL

 
Rachel Campbell
Media Relations Manager
(310) 732-3498

EMAIL