SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 19, 2022
As Omicron continues to escalate, the San Francisco Unified School District is facing teacher shortages, lack of rapid testing options and top of the line PPE, and the daunting task of keeping schools open for its 52,000 students. To support our schools, the local business community rallied together over the past two weeks to provide around 4,000 critically-needed tests and 120,000 masks. Working in conjunction with SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews and community volunteers, tests were distributed to the community as well as every teacher in the district last week.
Spearheaded by Twitter CFO and Tipping Point Board Member, Ned Segal, a broad coalition of businesses have contributed over $300,000 to respond to the pressing demands. Contributors to date include:
- AirBnB
- Golden State Warriors
- JPMorgan
- San Francisco Giants
- Twilio
- Visa
“The business community wants to do everything we can to keep our teachers, staff, students, and families healthy,” said Segal. “We will come together to partner with the SFUSD to keep students and teachers in the classroom at this unprecedented time.”
Lucira — a Bay Area company that provides rapid at-home molecular tests with PCR-accuracy — and Co-Protect – an L.A.-based distributor of COVID testing – reprioritized the distribution of the tests, making the product immediately available to the San Francisco community.
SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews oversaw the distribution over the weekend to students and families. “This is an all hands on deck moment,” said Dr. Matthews. “We anticipate a continued need for high-quality masks and rapid tests over the weeks and months ahead. We are deeply grateful for the business community’s support as we navigate this crisis together.”
Tipping Point Community — a nonprofit organization that fights poverty in the Bay Area — is serving as the philanthropic partner to help collect and distribute donations. “When our region is in crisis, our community steps up,” said Daniel Lurie, Tipping Point Founder and Board Chair. “We now know that distant learning has devastating impacts on families, particularly those who are low-income. We are grateful for the generosity of the community — teachers, parents, and business leaders — who are coming together at this critical moment.”
About Tipping Point Community
Tipping Point’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty for people in the Bay Area who don’t have the resources to meet their basic needs. Since 2005, Tipping Point has invested more than $300 million for housing, early childhood, education, and employment solutions in the region. Our board covers 100% of our operating costs, so every dollar donated goes where it’s needed most. Last year, our grantees provided life-changing services to more than 500,000 of our neighbors across the Bay Area. Visit www.tippingpoint.org to learn more.
