CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The organization CLTgivePPE has dozens of posts on their Instagram account telling stories of local nurses and doctors. One post reads, “Protect me on the frontline and my pregnant wife at home”. The group is asking for personal protection equipment, or "PPE".

“It’s hard to conceive how exponentially the burn rate is going and we haven’t even hit our peak yet,” Dr. Sheila Natarajan said from Charlotte.

Dr. Natarajan said the burn rate is how quickly medical professionals go through PPE.

“When you have some COVID-19 patients and some non-COVID-19 patients, you have to completely shift out the PPE equipment, so you are not negatively affecting the non-COVID-19 patients, “ Natarajan said.

Natarajan said she came up with the idea to spear-head this organization because she has a little more time on her hands than some doctors right now. She specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

“Unlike some of my friends who are on the front lines, I have the ability to scale back and do telemedicine,” Natarajan said. “What I have realized is those at the front lines are working so hard already that they don’t have the ability to put together anything like this on their own.”

CLTgivePPE is asking for donations such as N95 masks, surgical masks, goggles, shoe covers, gloves, disinfectant, and more. It doesn’t matter if people donate one item or ten, the group says all are welcome.

“Each one of us may not have that much, but if we join forces and give whatever we have, it can make a difference,” Natarajan said.

Donation times and location:

Thursday and Saturday
12 - 4 p.m.
Charlotte Goodwill, Wilkinson Blvd.
Ballantyne Goodwill, Lancaster Highway

For more information click here.