ICMIF member Securian Financial (USA) donated 20,200 masks to help fill the “drastic” shortage health care workers say they face in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This was in response to an appeal by the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) for certified N95 protective masks to be dropped off at its offices in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The donations will be given to the State Emergency Operations Center and then distributed to area hospitals. The masks mean a nurse “will be less afraid to go home to their families at night,” MNA president Mary Turner said in a statement. “Re-using masks is potentially dangerous for both nurses and patients. And if we can’t keep nurses safe, we won’t have nurses to care for patients.”

“We are all in the same place, and as a business, we take our responsibility of serving our neighbours really seriously,” said Nicole Hansen, Manager of Community Relations for Securian Financial Foundation. “We are not here to live in isolation; we are here to help each other. Think about the health care workers and what they are doing for all of us.”

Securian Financial has also given support to hunger relief organisation Second Harvest Heartland in an effort to help with its COVID-19 emergency efforts. The organisation works with community partners and leverages its unique position in the emergency food chain to give better access to food to families in need.

A spokesperson for Second Harvest Heartland responded to the donation on social media, saying “We’re grateful to have partners who share our value of supporting families in our community. Securian Financial’s mission is to help families build secure tomorrows, and they’re living their purpose by donating $250,000 to help fund our COVID-19 emergency response. Thank you to our friends at Securian Financial for their generous support during this unprecedented time.”