Pucks for PPE: Project Northern Lights and RESOLVE Canada Announce New NHL and CDC Foundation-Supported Initiative to Provide PPE to 7 NHL Cities

June 3, 2021 /3BL Media/ - Project Northern Lights (PNL) and RESOLVE Canada are excited to announce our most recent collaboration: Pucks for PPE. Funded by the CDC Foundation and the National Hockey League (NHL), Pucks for PPE is a project that aims to deliver protective equipment and other supplies to a range of marginalized populations in each Canadian city with an NHL team.

Although PPE supply chains are gradually stabilizing as the pandemic wears on, the all-time-high demand for PPE across nearly all sectors and social settings has left many organizations and populations still unable to meet their needs for protective equipment. Many in need do not have the purchasing power, existing relationships with major suppliers, or dedicated procurement staff required to secure PPE at a fair price. They are struggling to access a PPE marketplace crowded by traditional, high-volume buyers or to meet the minimum order requirements that make PPE purchases financially feasible or even possible. In Canada, as in many other countries, the need is particularly acute among marginalized populations and service organizations that serve high-risk constituents. 

Pucks for PPE is an effort to break through these supply chain barriers and help underserved groups, including shelters, refugee centres, and long-term care homes, access the protective equipment they need. Pucks for PPE was launched with seed funding from the CDC Foundation and NHL, and the initiative will focus on delivering PPE to high-need groups in and around each of Canada’s NHL team cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Winnipeg.
 

“Our NHL cities are some of Canada’s most vibrant, but unfortunately they are also home to some of our most at-risk peers. Amidst fear of a third wave of COVID-19, PNL looks forward to working with the NHL, the CDC Foundation and RESOLVE to continue to provide vulnerable and marginalized communities with face shields, masks, gowns and sanitizer, among other items, in the coming months.” - Naomi Zingman-Daniels, Manager & Director at PNL

“Pucks for PPE follows RESOLVE’s ImpactPPE model, which combines philanthropy, impact enterprise, and supply chain know-how to help communities in need access right-sized quantities of PPE. This is about promoting equity in the marketplace for PPE and other medical supplies. We have proof of concept and this model can scale in Canada, the US, and other jurisdictions with start-up social investment." – Tim Martin, President, RESOLVE Canada
 

PNL and RESOLVE Canada have partnered since summer 2020 on multiple efforts to bring sustainable health solutions to marginalized communities in Canada. Project Northern Lights just celebrated their one-year anniversary, with over 50,000 units of PPE and growing delivered to partner organizations and communities representing and serving marginalized demographics who have received disproportionately small amounts of COVID relief.

RESOLVE Canada and PNL are working to secure additional monetary and in-kind donations to amplify the impact of Pucks for PPE, and thank those who have already contributed. If you’re interested in donating, please contact: Richard Schroeder, Director of Responsible Growth Program, RESOLVE (rschroeder@resolve.ngo)

About RESOLVE

RESOLVE is a non-governmental organization with more than 40 years of experience forging sustainable solutions to critical social, health, and environmental challenges by creating innovative partnerships where they are least likely and most needed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have mobilized our networks to rapidly deploy and scale creative solutions to help tackle PPE shortages. Our COVID-19 response initiatives include Makers Respond, which put PPE in the hands of first responders; Open Source Medical Supplies, which has helped makers and manufacturers respond to shortages by providing rapid, expert review of open-source PPE designs; and Gear Up to VoteSafe, which delivered PPE to poll workers during the 2020 US Presidential election. This work builds on RESOLVE’s history of supporting rapid response to issues like conflict minerals, food safety, the economic impact of the Ebola outbreak, and the wildlife poaching crisis, and an ability to transition immediate support into effective, scalable, long-term solutions.

About Project Northern Lights

Project Northern Lights (PNL) is a community-based national Canadian non-profit organization focusing on sustainable response to crisis for marginalized communities largely left out of governmental aid and relief efforts.