Good News

The Knapp Family COVID-19 Health Crisis Challenge started the initiative to raise $1 million for PPE and other needed supplies to keep healthcare workers safe.

The United Way of Long Island’s new Response Fund for COVID-19 was established to help support vulnerable families who have been financially devastated by the coronavirus outbreak.

Bethpage-based real estate development firm Steel Equities is paying for bottled water supplied by Nestle Waters of Syosset to be delivered to a dozen Nassau hospitals. In addition, Bagels by Bell has delivered over 4,000 assorted bagels to hospital workers throughout the county.

The personal protective gear, usually used by painters and other construction workers, was donated to the Long Island State Veterans Home and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

After 122 students at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University received their diploma two months early, more than half pledged to work on the front line in the fight against COVID-19.

The effort, from the nonprofit founded by hockey hall of famer Pat LaFontaine, is aimed at keeping hospitalized kids motivated on their path to recovery in this challenging COVID-19 environment.

The program is designed to keep families who have fallen on hard times, from having to surrender their pets to shelters simply because they are finding it difficult to provide the basics, like pet food.

The “Stuff a Bus” food drive held by Jefferson’s Ferry Life Plan Community in South Setauket last month yielded 527 pounds of food for Island Harvest.

The system is designed to decontaminate up to 80,000 used N95 masks per day.

Henry Schein expects to have several hundred thousand tests available by the end of the month with “significantly increased availability” in April.

Three Long Island animal shelters received a combined $1.2 million from the New York State Companion Animal Capital Fund for various construction and renovation projects.

Stony Brook’s iCREATE lab has started manufacturing face shields using 3D printers.

On Long Island, those eligible to receive the state funding include the City of Long Beach Department of Transportation; Huntington Area Rapid Transit; Nassau Inter-City Express; and Suffolk County Transportation.

Men On The Move is offering free storage units to local college students displaced by school closings due to COVID-19.

The playhouses will be built and designed by Long Island Builders Institute volunteers and will be presented at the group’s annual L.I. Builders Home, Trade & Remodeling Expo at the Hilton Long Island in Melville on Friday, March 27 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Dave Wolmetz and Keith Handler, who opened the indoor adventure park in Nov. 2019, will be giving the donation through their newly formed Why Not Us Foundation.