Avnet’s employees are responsible for many of our support efforts to help those most impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19). At the same time, we are taking steps to support relief efforts as a corporation.
Avnet is making a sizeable donation to the United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in support of the World Health Organization. And, Avnet will match employee donations to that fund during the month of April.
We also are making donations in many regions/locations where we have an Avnet presence. Some of these donations include the COVID-19 Relief funds in Phoenix and Chicago and the Salvation Army in Gaffney, South Carolina. In Europe, we’re supporting the Red Cross in Spain and Italy; and the All United Against the Virus fund in France. In Asia our donations will focus on providing critically needed surgical masks and sanitizer. Our intent is to support efforts of organizations that are directly serving those who are the most impacted by this pandemic.
As the situation continues to evolve, Avnet will work to address specific needs around the globe where we can make a direct impact through our support. We’ll blog about them here.
Check out Avnet in Action to see all the ways Avnet is supporting COVID-19 efforts.
Farnell donates 3D printers and supplies to boost production of products for use in fight against COVID-19
Farnell, an Avnet company, is helping to ensure a range of 3D printed products can be produced as quickly as possible in response to the shortage of medical equipment.
Farnell is partnering with others who are using 3D printers to manufacture visor masks and field respirators around the globe. Through the donation, Avnet and Farnell are working to provide direct relief to those most affected by COVID-19.
“Helping in this way really fits with the culture of our company,” said Chris Breslin, president of Farnell. “By combining our technical expertise and resourcefulness for providing the right solutions for the right projects, we’re getting critical protective equipment to those who need it most in the fastest and most efficient way possible.”
To date, Farnell has made donations of printers and filament across Europe including the UK, Poland and Spain and is currently working to identify where it can support in the US and APAC.
Below are some of the inspirational operations which Farnell has supported so far:
From a home in Leeds, close to Farnell’s head office, two Farnell customers and members of the element14 Community, Nick Pearson and Lauren Rooney, created their own small, makeshift production facility with 3D printers to produce face shields for hospitals, doctors and pharmacies. Nick and Lauren have recently moved to 24-hour-a-day production, meaning that they can now print around 3,000 visors each week. Farnell has assisted with the donation of printers and filament to enable Nick and his team to produce over 5,000 visors for healthcare workers across the UK. The element14 community is also promoting Nick’s and Lauren’s story by encouraging others to get involved. You can donate to support their efforts directly, here.
Shield is an organisation set up to produce essential equipment for healthcare in the UK, with the first hub supporting the UK’s first Nightingale field hospital in London. Farnell worked with the founders to help equip the hub, including a donation of 3D printers and Raspberry Pi. The hub is now producing over 1,700 visors a day and a second hub is due to go live by the end of April. You can donate to their efforts directly, here.
Hackster.io and the UNDP Create a Detect and Protect Challenge
Hackster.io, an Avnet community, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) along with 12 leading technology companies are supporting the world’s developing countries in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic through the creation of the COVID-19 Detect and Protect Challenge. The Challenge asks engineers to design low-cost and easily deployable software, hardware and services that will support the detection and prevention of COVID-19 in some of the world’s most vulnerable areas.
Entries will be accepted and evaluated on a rolling basis through Summer of 2020. The UNDP will select the top ten inventions, whose creators will receive global recognition and monetary awards for their contribution to society and humankind.
Interested creators can sign up and gather more information at Hackster.io.