Nintendo has donated 9,500 N95 respirator masks to the city of North Bend, Washington, helping out medical and emergency services at the home of its main North American production facility.
The city of North Bend shared the news on its official website, thanking Nintendo for the donation and praising it for living up to its corporate social responsibility motto of "Putting Smiles on the Faces of Everyone Nintendo Touches." The disposable masks are badly needed for professionals working with coronavirus patients, both to protect themselves and others from cross-contamination. Unfortunately, skyrocketing demand among both health care workers and the public has made them hard to find for the people who need them most.
Nintendo of America's headquarters are located in Redmond, Washington, but its main production and distribution facility is located about 20 miles away in the small town of North Bend. According to the release from the city, Nintendo had previously acquired the 9,500 masks as part of its emergency preparedness plans for its North Bend employees. The company reached out to the city's fire and rescue department to donate the masks earlier this week.
You may not have heard of it, but if you've ever purchased a Nintendo console in North America before, you've probably benefited from the work of Nintendo North Bend. As we self-isolate with our Switch consoles and escape to a softer and safer world with our copies of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it makes me feel good to know Nintendo's helping one of the real-life communities that made it possible.
Keep up with the rest of Nintendo's plans with our guide to the best upcoming Switch games.
