Agave & Rye, aKentucky-based chain, is encouraging other restaurants and bars across Kentucky and Ohio to donate their unused disposable gloves that they can spare to the medical community.
Yavonne Sarber founded Agave & Rye and said she got the idea after a friend, who is an urgent care doctor in Ohio, told her she had to use her gloves more than once.
“And I thought, well, shoot, I know I have quite a few boxes sitting on our shelves that we know we're not going to be able to use for quite a while,” Sarber said. “I know that so many other restaurants are devastated with the loss they've had, but what better way to help people in a time of need than to give resources that we already have?”
The effort, called “Gloves on Hand,” launched on Tuesday and its website lists nearly a dozen health care facilities willing to take the donated items from restaurants and bars.
The four Agave & Rye restaurants report having donated 10,000 pairs of gloves so far.
Norton Healthcare spokeswoman Lynne Choate said they are accepting donated disposable gloves. But because the gloves are different than those used for direct-patient care, the donated ones will be used by food service workers in the hospital.
Sarber said they’re also looking at donating unused disinfectants and cleaning chemicals “that we carry in all of our kitchens and again, things that we can't use. So that might be something if the need is there.”
The Greater Louisville Medical Society and its foundation are also hosting a PPE drive, asking for unopened, non-expired items like surgical masks, protective goggles and disinfectant wipes.
