Bolger & O’Hearn donates hand sanitizer to help reopen Community Connections Inc.

Published On: July 29, 2020

Bolger & O’Hearn, Fall River, Mass., has donated 22 quarts of hand sanitizer to Community Connections Inc., a Massachusetts nonprofit that provides services and training for developmentally disabled adults. The organization has been closed since March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The recent donation is one of several hand sanitizer donations that Bolger & O’Hearn has made to front line workers, community groups and hospitals in Rhode island and Massachusetts since the beginning of the COVID pandemic.

In March, B&O donated more than 200 gallons of hand sanitizer to the city of Fall River for use by the fire department and frontline workers to support city operations. In April, Bolger & O’Hearn donated more than 700 pounds of hand sanitizer to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. In May, Bolger & O’Hearn donated 400 pounds of hand sanitizer to Lifespan, a not-for-profit health care system based in Providence, R.I.  And in June, Bolger & O’Hearn donated several gallons of hand sanitizer to People Inc., of Fall River, which provides comprehensive family services.

Bolger & O’Hearn is best known for making specialty chemicals for the textile industry, including fluorine-free, high-powered durable water repellents (DWRs) that are being used in the manufacturing of PPE.

“This is a time for all of us to pull together and do what we can to help others, save lives and support those who are risking their lives to save ours,” said Kelly Murphy, co-president of Bolger & O’Hearn. “Donations, such as the one this month to Community Connections are the least we can do.” 

Bolger & O’Hearn is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic on other fronts, as well. This includes  working closely with leaders of the U.S. textile industry developing highly-powerful durable water, oil and soil repellents used in the manufacturing of Levels 1, 2 and 3 medical textiles and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),  including masks, gowns, bed coverings, hospital room drapes and more.

“In particular, we are seeing a high demand for the high-powered, durable water repellents (DWRs) we have developed  for high-end performance apparel brands,” said Murphy. B&O’s DWR’s, which include fluorine-free Altopel F3 and Stormproof/Breathable OmniBloq®, provide resistance to fluid penetration, splatter and soils and offer a much higher level of barrier protection for both woven and nonwoven textiles than standard water repellents 

Bolger & O’Hearn is known and respected throughout the industries it serves as a trusted partner and developer of innovative, highly-effective chemical products. A bluesign system partner, B&O is also known for developing chemical products based on environmentally-compliant materials and technologies. Most of their chemistries are water-based, and Boger & O’Hearn strives to continually improve the health, safety and environmental profiles of the chemistries they develop.