Hempstead town distributes PPE in Cedarhurst

Beginning with Kiss and Makeup on Central Avenue and ending in Village Hall through noon on Oct. 7, more than 70 business owners in Cedarhurst received personal protective equipment kits from the Town Hempstead.

The kits valued at $500 include one contactless infrared digital thermometer; five face shields; eight boxes of 50 three-ply masks; two boxes of 100 pairs of powder-free and vinyl gloves; two gallons of hand sanitizer with spray pump; and one cannister of 1,500 sanitizing wipes.

Hempstead has made 6,000 such kits available to small businesses that have 20 or less employees. The program is being supported through the $133 million grant the town received through the federal CARES Act. With $1.6 million of that grant benefiting the PPE kit distribution.

“It means the town is doing what it can to support us safely and appropriately,” said Fay Feder, owner of Kiss and Makeup, speaking of her fellow small business owners. “This town, this village has been behind us every step of the way. It’s been hard, it’ll be harder, but we are going to get though it and with this initiative that you are bringing to us today, it’s an expense that people don’t think about that we cannot carry right now.”

The kits are available free of charge. Businesses, across the town in incorporated villages and unincorporated communities, just need to register with the town. Then they will notified of a date, time and location for pickup.

“The town is looking to help small businesses survive,” said Supervisor Don Clavin as he stood outside Kiss and Makeup on Tuesday. “This will give confidence to Fay’s employees and her customers. Noting the federal and the partnership with Cedarhurst, he added. “We are always looking for ways to team up with other levels of government.

“These kits are going to go a long way,” said Mayor Benjamin Weinstock. “We in the village started from the day that Covid was announced, paid attention to it on a regular basis to see what we could do to help our residents and the people that come and shop and visit our village that like to dine in our village. We have been very pro-active in terms of helping business open and stay open and stay safe.” Cedarhurst made outdoor dining readily available to its restaurants.

Councilman Anthony D’Esposito who represents Cedarhurst as part of his councilmatic district credits Clavin for his leadership through the pandemic. “I know, because I literally sat in a room with the supervisor for what seemed like many, many weeks, and he has really worked as hard as he can to make sure that we provide the resources, not only to our workforce and our colleagues in government … but the work that he’s done and encouraged here for small businesses.” 

For more information on the PPE program, go to hempsteadny.gov/ppe-giveaway. The application is also available in Spanish, https://www.hempsteadny.gov/ppe-giveaway-spanish. Information regarding eligibility to apply is provided on the website.

“We appreciate it so much and we appreciate our customers who’ve been so loyal and so behind us as well, and just wishing everybody safety and health, and let’s just get through this,” Feder said.