The Happiest Place on Earth may be shuttered until further notice but that has not stopped the Walt Disney Company from lending help to medical professionals across the country during a pandemic.
Disney Parks has donated 150,000 rain ponchos to MedShare, a humanitarian aid organization, for distribution to hospitals in need. Ponchos are highly requested to protect nurses clothing and their equipment.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything we’ve seen before,” said MedShare CEO and President Charles Redding, in a statement. “We have to find ways to pool our resources and work together to help the healthcare workers who are doing their very best to treat patients and contain COVID-19. We appreciate Disney partnering with us to support hospitals and healthcare workers on the front lines.”
In addition to donating the ponchos and over 100,000 N95 masks to New York, California and Florida, Disney has donated more than 270 tons of food to local food banks. Since March, Disney Parks have provided nearly $3 million in donations benefiting communities around the world.
This comes days after the company announced that Walt Disney Co. Executive Chairman Bob Iger will forgo his salary beginning April 5 as the company deals with the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis, which forced all the parks and Disney stores to close last month.
In March, Disney disclosed it was $6 billion in debt due to the virus, which also caused the suspension to Disney Cruise Lines and pushed back movie release dates including "Mulan" and "Black Window."
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Vice presidents at Disney will have their salaries cut by 20%. Pay for senior vice presidents and executive vice presidents will be docked 25% and 30%, respectively.
This marks the fourth time Disneyland has closed its doors to the public since its opening in 1955.
It is not clear when Disneyland and Disney World will reopen.
