Panda donates 26,000 masks, cash donation and Orange Chicken Love to local healthcare heroes.
Renown Health Foundation announced today that Panda Express®, through its philanthropic arm Panda Cares, has donated 26,000 personal protective masks to healthcare workers as part of the American Chinese restaurant brand’s ongoing commitment to supporting medical professionals on the frontlines of Reno, Nevada.
“At Panda, we are deeply appreciative to Renown Children’s Hospital and thank every staff member for their heroic work to serve those in need, especially the children and families in our community. We hope that these donations not only provide physical support but also encouragement to continue to fight the good fight!” said Peggy Cherng, co-CEO and co-founder of Panda Restaurant Group. “These heroic men and women continue to dedicate their lives to save the loved ones of others, and we are honored to contribute in this way and provide some comfort and care during this difficult time. Thank you to our guests’ generosity to make these donations happen—we are stronger together, as one community.
”With shortage of masks in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this donation fulfills an essential need to ensure the health and well-being of the hospital staff and their patients. The Panda Express donation includes:
Renown Children’s is the only dedicated children’s hospital in northern Nevada, offering emergency pediatric care, programs and services for families from a 100,000 square mile area, from Sacramento, CA to Salt Lake City, Utah. Renown Children’s provides the area’s only Children’s Emergency Room, Pediatric ICU (PICU), children’s imaging center and the largest neonatal ICU (NICU), a level III intensive care unit.
“Led by a team of 22 pediatric physician specialists, Renown Children’s clinicians provide over 50,000 patient visits annually, offering an exceptional level of care to help families. As a testimony to the community’s confidence in the care provided, and our generous donors, we now care for 9 out of 10 children right here at home, in northern Nevada. Formerly, families had to travel out of our area to receive pediatric specialty care,” said Larry Duncan, Vice President of Pediatrics and Surgery & Administrator, Renown Children's Hospital.
“We thank the co-CEOs and co-founders of Panda Express Andrew and Peggy Cherng and all of the Panda associates for their fundraising and this generous and important donation. We are prepared- always, to care for our community and our children. We are very grateful for our long-term partnership with the local Panda Express restaurant team, who are always there for us,” said Tony Slonim, MD, D.Ph., president and CEO, Renown Health.
Since the partnership began with local Panda Express restaurants in 2007, funds raised in support of Renown have provided almost a half-a-million dollars in support to benefit patients and families at Renown Children’s Hospital, including:
“We are very fortunate to have such generous partners like Panda Express. They truly want to help our patients and their families, as well as our pediatric healthcare teams. They’ve been working with Renown Health Foundation to support Renown Children’s Hospital for several years and have inspired us with their generosity and willingness to help children,” said Greg Walaitis, Chief Development Officer, Renown Health Foundation.
“It also comes at the time when children across the country are at risk for COVID-19 and a new condition called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). This is serious illness whereby different body parts become inflamed and the child requires admission to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. MIS-C is a serious condition, even deadly occasionally, but most children who were diagnosed with this condition have gotten better with medical care. The exact cause of MIS-C is still being investigated, but we know that many children with MIS-C had a COVID- 19 infection, or had been physically close to someone with COVID-19. As we too are dealing with these new medical challenges, we value community support and this donation from Panda Cares is most appreciated,” said Max J. Coppes M.D., Professor & Nell J. Redfield Chair of Pediatrics, Physician-in-Chief, Renown Children’s Hospital.
Ways to Support Renown Children’s Hospital
On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express, home of American Chinese comfort food, is the largest AsiandiningconceptintheU.S.Family-ownedandoperatedsince1983byco-foundersandco-CEOsAndrewandPeggyCherng, Panda Express is best known for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best sellerthe Original Orange Chicken® and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp, which have defined the category ofauthentic American Chinese cuisine. Each dish at Panda Express, including the Wok Smart® selections, isthoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary principles. Therestaurant brand has more than 2,200 locations throughout the U.S. and has introduced American Chinese cuisinetomorethan ten internationalcountries. Poweredby thisglobal familyofassociates,PandaCares,theorganization'sphilanthropic arm, has raised more than$212 million and countless volunteer hours in bettering the health andeducation for over12 million youths aswellas supportingcommunitiesinneed since1999.In2020,PandaestablishedthePandaCaresScholarsProgramtoprovidethenecessaryfunding,academicsupportandleadershipdevelopment to help high school and college students learn, lead and thrive towards a bright future. For moreinformation,visit pandaexpress.com,orfindusonFacebook,Twitteror Instagram.
Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally owned and governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare networkserving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees,Renownhasfosteredalongstandingcultureofexcellence,determinationandinnovation.Theorganizationcomprisesatraumacenter,twoacutecarehospitals,achildren’shospital,arehabilitationhospital,amedicalgroupand urgent care network, and the region’s largest, locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, HometownHealth. Renown’s institute model addresses social determinants of health and includes: Child Health, BehavioralHealth & Addiction, Healthy Aging and Health Innovation. Clinical institutes include: Cancer, Heart and VascularHeath, Neurosciences and Robotic Surgery. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world’s largestcommunity-basedgeneticpopulationhealthstudy,theHealthyNevadaProject®.Formoreinformation,visitrenown.org.
