Delaware organization donating disinfectants to first responders

DELAWARE – It’s hard for most people to find things like hand sanitizer or Lysol in stores right now and first responders say that’s having an impact on them. However, one Delaware organization is working to make sure the people on the front lines protecting us are also staying safe too.

“We are sometimes the first ones that come in contact with these people and sometimes we don’t even know that we’re in contact with them because they may not be symptomatic,” says Chelsea Aydelotte, the EMS Chief for Milton Fire Department.

First responders say they’re taking extra precautions because of the coronavirus. “We are going through supplies much more rapidly than we do any other time of year given the situation that we all find ourselves in,” says Cpl. Mark Hoffman with Dover Police Department.

“If it is a busy day we are sanitizing sometimes 20 times a day and our supplies run low,” says Aydelotte.

But they also tell 47 ABC — they’re having a hard time getting the supplies they need. “We’re like everyone else we can’t just go to the store and pick the stuff up zero for the company that we normally order from they are out of stock as well and they don’t know when they’re going to be back in stock,” says Aydelotte.

That’s where Delaware Helping Warriors Outdoors (DHWO) comes in. The organization is distributing disinfectant tools to first responders to help protect them from COVID-19. “We need to keep them safe because everybody, the general public, we don’t know who has came in contact with this virus or who hasn’t,” says Larry Thompson, the founder and president of Delaware Helping Warriors Outdoors.

The organization has already donated items like hand and laundry sanitizer to the Delaware State Police, Denton Fire Department, Dover Police and others. “One of our biggest concerns is obviously sanitization of our equipment, our police cars as well as keeping our officers healthy and keeping their hands clean and things of that nature,” says Cpl. Hoffman.

Organizers say it’s a small way to protect those who protect our communities everyday. “We are just trying to keep everybody safe and fight this virus all together as a community,” says Thompson.

Delaware Helping Warriors Outdoors is using some of its own money to buy and donate these items but it’s also accepting donations of supplies or money to help continue these efforts.

To donate you can contact Delaware Helping Warriors Outdoors on their Facebook page or by reaching out to Larry Thompson 302-423-3255.