Distributor Gorilla Marketing (PPAI 159865, D8) and supplier Hit Promotional Products (PPAI 113910, S13) have announced a collaboration with Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) that promotes positive social distancing and puts needed resources to work in communities as frontline workers fight for lives amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inspired by an idea to spread the message of ‘social distancing with a smile,’ Riverside, California-based Gorilla Marketing launched the ‘Practice Safe 6’ campaign, making t-shirts available to hospitals, medical clinics and others on the frontlines in Southern California. Wanting to have greater impact, Gorilla Marketing reached out to Hit Promotional Products, headquartered in Largo, Florida, with the goal of expanding the reach of the message.

“The response from those on the front lines in Southern California was overwhelmingly positive. But this pandemic is global, and we knew we needed a partner who could help us to spread the word on a broader level. Hit is absolutely the right partner,” says Chris Arranaga, founder and CEO of Gorilla Marketing. “We’re energized to collaborate with Hit and to support CCUSA, because ultimately this is not about a product, it’s about the importance of unity during a time of crisis.”

Through Hit, the nearly 22,000 promotional distributors serving companies and organizations of all sizes have immediate access to the ‘Practice Safe 6’ shirts in bulk. With a goal of positively promoting social distancing, shirts imprinted with the trademarked slogan and a corporate logo will get into the hands of the employees of hospitals, medical clinics, grocery chains, transportation agencies, and even the smallest neighborhood restaurants and markets across the U.S.

For the exclusive use of Gorilla Marketing’s intellectual property, Hit will donate $1 from each garment produced to CCUSA, a charity committed to responding to and serving the needs of the most vulnerable and those living in poverty in communities throughout the United States. Through a network of 166 agencies, CCUSA provides access to food and basic needs.

“All of us at Catholic Charities across the country, especially our thousands of workers who reach out to those who are homeless, frightened and hungry, are so deeply grateful to Gorilla Marketing for their efforts to help us during this overwhelming time,” says Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA.

CJ Schmidt, president of Hit Promotional Products, adds, “’Practice Safe 6’ is the ‘new normal’ of our lives. We’re proud to partner with Gorilla Marketing and CCUSA on such an impactful and important project not only for our industry but for the enrichment of the world and those around us.”