SPARTANBURG, S.C. — April 28, 2021 — This month, Milliken & Company donated more than 23,000 reusable fabric gowns to Richland County School District One in Columbia, S.C. The donation helps to address the need for additional personal protective equipment (PPE) as schools return to in-person learning.
“Teachers across the country continue to face some of the most challenging situations in response to the pandemic. Our hope is that this gown donation helps Richland One teachers feel empowered and, most importantly, safe while they work to educate our community’s children,” said Chad McAllister, executive vice president of Milliken & Company and president of the Textile Division.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) requires that school nurses and special education teachers have access to gowns. The DHEC-approved gowns will be distributed to schools and offices throughout Richland One, although special education teachers and nurses will be given priority.
“Richland One would like to thank Milliken for its generous donation,” said Eunice Jones, Richland One’s Coordinator of Nursing Services. “Keeping our students and staff safe is our priority. This donation will allow continued support to our staff by allowing them to have the necessary resources to provide high quality care.”
The donation was possible due to a limited supply of excess inventory of Level 1 PPE gowns at a S.C.-based Milliken manufacturing facility. In response to the pandemic, the Textile Division at Milliken pivoted its manufacturing process to begin supplementing U.S. demand for PPE, specifically Level 1 PPE gowns. These gowns can be laundered up to 25 times, making them a sustainable alternative to single-use gowns.
The donation to Richland One follows a similar donation to 15 school districts across Upstate South Carolina in October 2020. In total, Milliken has donated more than 46,000 reusable fabric gowns to teachers across South Carolina.
“Positively impacting the communities where our associates live and work is a pillar of Milliken’s value system. Although our footprint spans the globe, knowing these gowns are supporting so many teachers right here in our company’s home state of South Carolina is an amazing feeling,” McAllister added.
Posted April 28, 2021
Source: Milliken & Company
