At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Joseph R. Sando became concerned with the wide-spread shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) affecting frontline healthcare workers battling the Coronavirus. After researching the issue, Sando set out to provide PPE to the healthcare industry in the Dallas-Fort Worth community. Working with one of his contacts in the export industry, Sando was able to procure and distribute surgical masks to those in need at local hospitals and organizations, in conjunction with The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Sando’s friend and attorney, Sean Crain of Alston & Bird LLP, assembled a team of lawyers to advise Sando on risk mitigation and intellectual property issues on a pro bono basis.

 

Sando distributed over thirteen thousand surgical masks to UT Southwestern Medical Center, Children’s Health, and Texas restaurant group 8.0 Management. Inspired to continue serving their community, Sando and Crain continued a dialogue on how to best focus their efforts. They soon discovered that they both shared the same passions for causes surrounding homelessness, schools, and children. This led them to an introduction by Chris and Chrystal Morgan to Vogel Alcove, a Dallas-based educational institution for homeless children ages six weeks to 12 years old. In September 2020, Sando and Crain used the same contact in the export industry to supply much needed infrared thermometers to Vogel Alcove for their students, parents, and staff. This, in turn, inspired Sando to launch The Sando Foundation, making Vogel Alcove its first charity partner.