(MURFREESBORO)  Republic Services, who operate Middle Point Landfill, has donated 60,000 N95 respirator masks to Rutherford County to help protect first responders, county personnel and the community.

The personal protective equipment (PPE) donation will help to protect essential service providers and other community members and support the recovery of businesses and services put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Middle Point General Manager Jeremy Jernigan said, “Rutherford County is a special community, and we’re proud to be among those rolling up their sleeves to help their neighbors during this time of need. In these difficult times, we believe it’s important to do our part to serve our customers and to provide equipment to keep people safe.”

The mask donation is an extension of Republic’s Committed to Serve initiative. Committed to Serve is a $20 million initiative to recognize Republic’s frontline employees and to help support small-business customers that are the economic engines of local communities.

Across the country, Republic has contributed $3 million to its charitable foundation to support the rebuilding of small businesses, $11 million in gift cards to its 28,000 frontline employees, and $6 million to local restaurants for meals for employees and their families.

In the Murfreesboro area, Republic has been providing meals for employees at Middle Point Landfill and its trucking division. To date, $20,000 has been reinvested in local restaurants, including The Alley on Main, Slick Pig BBQ and Spooky’s Pizza. Over the last two months, Republic’s 28,000 frontline employees have received a weekly meal, a weekly dinner for employees and their families, and biweekly $100 gift cards ($400 per employee) to be spent locally.

Locally, in addition to the Committed to Serve initiative, Republic continues to support various organizations throughout Rutherford County, including Taste of Rutherford County, and has partnerships with Rutherford County Schools and Middle Tennessee State University.