Feb 10, 2020|
JD Merchants Donate to Fight Coronavirus
By Ella Kidron and Rachel Liu
Thousands of JD’s merchants, from large brands to individual sellers, have made donations of resources and time for coronavirus aid support. JD recently spoke to several of these merchants to hear the stories of how they are participating in the fight against the coronavirus.
30,000 food items worth 500,000 yuan
JD merchant Wang Ke donated 3,000 boxes of milkshakes and 2,000 boxes of energy bars to 18 Wuhan hospitals.
Wang operates the “Super Zero” flagship store on JD that officially launched in November last year as a newcomer to e-commerce. Inspired by one of his investors, an institution from Wuhan whose employees spontaneously formed a volunteer team to support doctors and patients during the epidemic, Wang also hoped to find a way to join in and support. After seeing a Wuhan doctor post a photo of New Year’s Eve “dinner” of crackers and instant noodles on social media, he determined that although he was in Beijing, the energy bars and milkshakes he sold might be able to help.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Wang mobilized his staff to pack the goods and arranged for transportation. With the traffic restrictions to, from and within Wuhan, he struggled to find a vehicle that would be willing to accept the order. After making hundreds of phone calls around his network in Hubei, he finally established direct contact with 18 Wuhan hospitals via the “Lan Pangzi” (“Blue Fatty”) volunteer organization, and found a vehicle to transport a total of 30,000 items, worth a total of 500,000 yuan, all donated to the hospitals for coronavirus aid support.
8,000 pairs of safety goggles
Li Pengzhi, operator of the Deyin Industrial Products Specialized Store on JD.com, donated 8,000 pairs of safety goggles to traffic cops and taxi drivers in Hubei province. A Shandong native, Li went to university in Wuhan and had fond memories of his time there. With the coronavirus outbreak, Li wanted to do his part to help. As the specifications of safety goggles for industrial use are different from those for medical use, Li determined that he could donate the industrial use safety goggles, worth a total of 200,000 yuan, to traffic cops and taxi drivers instead. In addition, Li donated 50,000 yuan towards supporting sanitation workers who are often overlooked and need protection.
Last inventory of masks
Li Yan, operator of Lian Yao Jia Ju, a furniture flagship store on JD.com, donated all of the remaining 1,000 masks she had in stock to Wuhan. One of her employees, Xiao Zhang, a native of Tianmen in Hubei province, was unable to go home for the Spring Festival holiday due to the road closures. To make matters worse, the employee’s relatives had contracted the coronavirus. Li Yan had already given Xiao Zhang many products, but she still wanted to do more, leading her to donate the masks. In addition, she donated 2000 yuan in cash through the JD Donation Platform towards coronavirus aid support. Li expressed, “If everyone lends a hand with whatever they have, everything will be alright.”
The coronavirus has galvanized everyone, from large international organizations to individuals to pitch in their support. Countless members of JD’s 210,000-employee staff, from logistics, technology, health and other teams, have been on the frontlines helping out. JD will continue to work together with its merchants and partners to contribute to the fight against the coronavirus.
(ella@jd.com; liuchang61@jd.com)