If anything has been learned about River Wards residents and businesses during the COVID-19 crisis, it’s that while PPE may be in short supply, their generosity is not.
From a stay-at-home mom sewing face masks to restaurants donating meals to families in need to a civic association giving out free, fresh produce, there has been an abundance of examples of giving back to the community and those who need it most.
From churches to casinos, donations come from the most likely and unlikely places.
Including tattoo parlors.
Husband and wife duo Daniel and Amber Anthony of Wild Heart Tattoo, 2434 E. Dauphin St., made a donation to a Temple University medical student, who took the donation to the hospital, at the end of March.
“We are a small shop so we actually don’t keep a lot of back stock, just some general PPE, but I was able to put her in touch with several other larger shops,” said Amber Anthony. “And also help her reach out directly to the health department so that they could send a mass email to all the shops in the city of Philadelphia.”
The business also donated various disinfectant products.
Following mandates by the city, the studio has remained closed during the pandemic, but clients have been creative in trying to help Wild Heart out financially, from purchasing artwork and gift certificates to pre-booking appointments.
Ultimately, the shop hopes its contribution and the connections it provided helps those directly dealing with the pandemic.
“Our goal is to help all of our frontline healthcare workers to be able to safely care for patients because at the end of the day we are all in this together,” Amber Anthony said. “Without them, we don’t stand a chance of fighting this.”
