Pledging 1,975 Meals and More to Mark 45 Years Since Refugees First Arrived in U.S. April 30, 1975

WESTMINSTER, Calif., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vietnamese Americans in Orange County's Little Saigon issued a "Nailing It For America" challenge to other Vietnamese communities throughout the country: Join the national day of giving back beginning Thursday, April 30 to help healthcare professionals and other front-line workers fighting the coronavirus (COVID-19).

So far, New York City, Boston, Dallas, San Jose, Salt Lake City and others have plans to deliver 1,975 meals and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Earlier this month, "Nailing It" volunteers collected and delivered more than 120,000 medical-grade masks and 300,000 gloves within 10 days for Southern California's healthcare professionals combatting COVID-19. Vietnamese restaurants also joined the cause, delivering 20,000 meals along with PPEs last Thursday.

After the shutdown of nonessential businesses across America, Advance Beauty College President Tam Nguyen and others mobilized the nail industry nationally to donate 1.2 million medical-grade masks, gloves and other PPEs in nearly every state to healthcare workers who desperately needed them. The group estimates the value of supplies is approximately $30 million.

Vietnamese Americans have transformed the nail industry thanks to the chance encounter of Tippi Hedren at Hope Village refugee camp in Northern California in 1975. After the visit, the star of "The Birds" flew her personal manicurist in weekly to teach the group of Vietnamese refugees the nail craft and even helped them secure nail salon jobs in Southern California.

Thursday marks a significant milestone for the nation's 2.1 million Americans of Vietnamese descent since the first wave of refugees from war-torn Vietnam reached America on April 30, 1975.

"Thursday is a special day to show our gratitude to America and to countless Americans like Tippi Hedren who embraced us and gave us a chance to rebuild our lives after the Fall of Saigon," Nguyen said. "It's also a day for the rise of the Vietnamese community in America to help front-line workers conquer COVID-19."

Visit: http://www.unitedwayoc.org/nailingit

*PHOTO: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0429s2p-nailing-it-300dpi.jpg

*Caption: "The Birds" actress Tippi Hedren with Nailing It for America's Tam Nguyen and "The Joy Luck Club" star Kieu Chinh.

No celebrity endorsement claimed or implied.

This release was issued through Send2Press®, a unit of Neotrope®. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com

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SOURCE Nailing It For America