Land Rover Canada teams up with hospitals for PPE collection

Jaguar Land Rover is no stranger to making a difference. They’ve been making vehicles available to assist in natural disasters and humanitarian work around the world for over 65 years.

For John Lindo, the personal protective equipment (PPE) shortage became very real during a recent hospital visit with his girlfriend.

“My girlfriend is going through chemo, and was recently admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 symptoms,” he says. “What really struck me was the amount of stuff … gloves, masks, gowns … that medical staff goes through on each shift, and it just goes into the garbage every time to make sure no one gets exposed. It was eye-opening to see first-hand how hospitals really need this equipment.”

John is also the Director, Marketing & Public Relations for Jaguar Land Rover Canada. Recognizing the need – and the opportunity to help – early on, Land Rover has made vehicles and drivers available to hospitals across Canada to assist in the collection of unused, unexpired PPE supplies through the PPE drive.

“We realized people may be hesitant to donate because they are unable to leave home, or maybe have kids at home,” says Aleksandra Bulat, Manager, Experiential and Partnerships “so we thought this was a great way to lend a hand and help our community come together.”

In the GTA, the company is using three vehicles from its Land Rover series along with three of its employees as drivers. To date, the Land Rover crew has made 75 pickups and collected just under 25,000 PPE items.

The response to the PPE drive has been incredible, as both large and small businesses have risen to the challenge.

“We’ve done pickups from small businesses like a tattoo parlor or people’s homes, and larger organizations like Canadian Tire and Sobeys,” says Aleksandra. “We recently picked up 12 masks and a box of gloves from a woman who does eyebrows out of her condo – it’s small, but it’s something. Everything adds up.”

The PPE initiative is a source of pride for Land Rover employees, but the company is no stranger to making a difference. They've been making vehicles available to assist in natural disasters and humanitarian work around the world for over 65 years. 

For Aleksandra, just being able to help at a time like this makes all the difference.

“Selfishly, it feels good to be doing something positive,” says Aleksandra. “People who donate are happy and grateful to be able to help, it’s such a sense of community. It’s been amazing to see people and businesses coming together for this cause.”

“We are immensely grateful for the support provided by Jaguar Land Rover Canada”, says Shannon Moon, Vice President, Annual, Events and Operations with the Michael Garron Hospital Foundation. “They were among the very first companies to reach out. We had to quickly figure out how to collaborate most efficiently, sharing and continuously updating the list of pick-ups needed."

"Jaguar Land Rover were such a pleasure to work with – we could not have accessed the donations in the way we did without their generosity of time and equipment. In the midst of such challenging circumstances, it’s been incredible to see companies stepping up in meaningful ways. We’re so grateful.”