Navajo Nation Needs Our Help!

At TVS Pro, we try our best to give back to the community when we can! That’s why we’re a proud sponsor of Angel Flight – which provides free medical and ‘compassion’ flights, using their own private airplanes, for those who qualify. Not only do we support Angel Flight, but our own Jerry, Steve, and James Bollinger are active member pilots of Angel Flight’s division for the West – with Steve Bollinger as the division’s wing leader. Each have flown a delivery mission to the four corners area.

As most are aware, the Navajo Nation has been hit hard with the COVID-19 virus. As of May 11, they are the one hardest hit area of the United States, only four U.S. states have more deaths per capita than the reservation and their number of cases nearly doubled in just two weeks – since April 26. There is a lack of running water (estimated to be around 40%), and therefore sanitation, their medical infrastructure isn’t as well established, most do not have adequate housing, internet access is rare, and supply chains are suffering. Angel Flight West is sending stocked planes with necessary supplies and, by partnering with the With Love, From Strangers, founded by Dr. Christina Thuet, a pediatrician who recently moved to Salt Lake City from the Navajo reservation, is able to get those supplies where they are needed most.

The most difficult items for them to obtain are:

Water gallons (or empty laundry detergent jugs) or jugs with spigots for hand washing
Spray Bottles
Hand sanitizer
Disinfectant wipes

They are also in need of:

Bleach
Disposable gloves
Paper towels
Toilet paper
Bars or bottles of soap
Laundry detergent
Thermometers
Alcohol wipes/swabs
Masks (disposable or hand-sewn)
Shampoo
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste

If you’d like to help make masks, family care boxes, or hand washing stations, you can find out how on the With Love From Strangers website at withlovefromstrangers.org. If you would like to donate supplies, please drop supplies off at our office during business hours (170 E. 2100 S, SLC, UT – M-F 9am-6pm) and we will send it down in our next upcoming flight! Additionally, if you would like to donate monetarily, you can do so through GoFundMe or Southern Utah University – with links found on the With Love, From Strangers website here.

As of today, Angel Flight’s West Division has made 38 flights giving supplies to 9 healthcare facilities and 5 tribal communities. To the healthcare facilities they have provided over 57,000 gloves, 4,500 face shields, 6,100 N95 masks, 3,000 surgical masks, 2,400 disposable gowns, and 1,350 reusable gowns. In addition, they have provided sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and bleach. For the communities served they have provided over 34,000 gloves and 6,500 handmade masks in addition to gallons of water, baby wipes, baby diapers, toilet paper, paper towels, soap, bleach, hand sanitizer, and thermometers.

More information about Angel Flight West can be found at angelflightwest.org.

More information about With Love, From Strangers can be found at withlovefromstrangers.org.