FedEx Corp. is committing transportation and logistics support to humanitarian relief agencies as they respond to the coronavirus outbreak. As part of these efforts, FedEx Express will ship today more than 200,000 surgical masks and personal protective equipment such as gowns and gloves to its Asia Pacific Hub in Guangzhou, China to assist the humanitarian work of Direct Relief. FedEx is working closely with China Post which will deliver the aid from Guangzhou to Wuhan Union Hospital.
“Direct Relief is deeply thankful to FedEx for enabling this rapid response to fulfill a very specific order that the medical staff in Wuhan’s largest hospital selected from our current stockpile, “said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief President & CEO. “In rapidly unfolding situations such as this, it’s obviously important to move fast but with precision and proper coordination with all the relevant authorities – which FedEx’s extraordinary team has made possible.”
This collaboration is part of the FedEx Cares “Delivering for Good” initiative. The company uses its expertise in shipping and logistics to connect organizations, communities and individuals with the resources they need through charitable shipping and cash donations.
“FedEx is proud to mobilize its global network to deliver aid, comfort and care to people suffering in the wake of this unprecedented health emergency,” said Raj Subramaniam, president and chief operating officer, FedEx Corporation. “We will continue to work closely with humanitarian and disaster relief organizations to provide support and deliver supplies, doing what we do best to help those who need it most.”
FedEx is working closely with Guangzhou Baiyun Airport Customs as well as the China Post on these relief shipments to swiftly complete clearance and get the critical supplies to Wuhan. China Post is coordinating the movement of the supplies into Wuhan to deliver the relief as quickly as possible.
FedEx has a long history of working with nonprofit and government entities to support communities and economies during times of crisis. The company has donated $6 million in cash and in-kind assistance to support humanitarian organizations so far this fiscal year, which began on June 1, 2019. These contributions have helped with other crises such as the wildfires in Australia, the Taal volcano eruption in the Philippines, Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas and the earthquake in Puerto Rico.
The delivery of these critical supplies is part of the company’s FedEx Cares 50 by 50 goal to positively impact 50 million people around the world by the company’s 50th anniversary in 2023. For more information on the company’s Delivering for Good initiative, click here.
