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VM brings you the latest information from optical companies and organizations responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN) said its Allergan Foundation has awarded approximately $13 million in charitable grants in 2020 as part of its commitment to providing a lasting and positive impact in the communities in which Allergan employees live and work. The 2020 donations support programs dedicated to the COVID-19 pandemic response as well as initiatives supporting mental health, eyecare and breast health. The 2020 grants bring The Allergan Foundation's total donations in its 22-year history to approximately $108 million, including $57 million since the beginning of 2015.

The Allergan Foundation's 2020 donations include a total of $2 million dedicated to more than 70 organizations responding to the local impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The goal of these fast-track grants is to put much needed financial help in the hands of organizations who support vulnerable people in need of food, housing and mental health services as quickly as possible,” said Brent Saunders, chairman of The Allergan Foundation. "We are humbled by the care these front-line organizations provide to people in need in California, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Ohio, Florida and several international locations… and are proud to add them to the many organizations we support who are making a difference in the health and well-being of our communities."

Included among the organizations receiving grants are the following:
• New York Community Trust NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund
• Community Food Bank of New Jersey
• Orange County, California United Way
• Central Texas Food Bank
• Freestore Foodbank, Cincinnati, Ohio

Edging machinery maker MEI, with the support of its not-for-profit MEI Foundation, donated €150,000 to the Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital in Bergamo, Italy and another €150,000 to the Health Protection Agency of Bergamo. MEI is headquartered in Bergamo, one of the cities hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

MEI also donated €200,000 to the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, which is developing medications to fight the coronavirus.

"With these donations we wanted to give concrete support to our community and communicate our gratitude to all the health care professionals and researchers involved in this emergency. The situation is dramatic, the needs are many, from logistical to instrumental ones," explained Stefano Sonzogni, president of MEI. "Certain that we will win this battle, we hope that the situation will soon return to normal."

MEI Foundation has been active for several years in solidarity projects mainly related to the treatment of vision diseases, especially for pediatric patients, in different parts of the world.

Brooks Brothers, in a letter to customers and employees from CEO Claudio Del Vecchio, announced that starting this week, the company, America’s oldest retailer, announced its response to the urgent call from the White House and other state and local leaders for medical supplies. Brooks Brothers is in the process of converting its New York, North Carolina and Massachusetts factories from manufacturing ties, shirts and suits to now making masks and gowns.

Brooks Brothers plans to use these facilities to produce up to 150,000 masks per day on an ongoing basis, to help increase access to protective gear for health care workers and others battling the spread of COVID-19 at the nation’s hospitals and other facilities.

Over the past two weeks, the company said it was in direct contact with Federal and State officials, task forces, several major hospital systems, and other municipalities and organizations. As part of this effort, Brooks Brothers has partnered with Stop the Spread, a coalition of volunteer CEOs working in Washington, D.C. and around the U.S. to catalyze actions and support the government in response to COVID-19.

Brooks Brothers has also partnered with leading universities recognized as centers for excellence for both textiles and technology in order to develop the prototypes. The company has been working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expedite the approval process.

Find the latest COVID-19 news you need in VM'sCoronavirus Briefing.