Adelson McLean has dedicated a portion of our receivables into novel coronavirus relief efforts by donating a to support Direct Relief. The organization provides valuable assistance in the United States, delivering protective masks – along with exam gloves and isolation gowns – to health care organizations in areas with confirmed COVID-19 cases.
During World War II, America harnessed its industrial might to produce necessary military equipment at record rates, becoming the “Arsenal of Democracy.” Henry Ford, a renowned pacifist turned patriot with the US entry into the war, promised he would do his part, building airplanes on an assembly line, producing a bomber an hour. Everyone said this was impossible but Ford went ahead and proved them wrong, building the Willow Run plant in Detroit, Michigan, the original home of “Rosie the Riveter,” and by the end of the war, produced a B-24 Liberator bomber each hour.
In the last few weeks, clothing companies have retooled some of their factories to make face masks. Toy companies have done the same for masks, ventilator parts and hand sanitizer. Car companies like General Motors and Tesla are planning to make ventilators.
This is a solid reminder of how America can lead again, this time as the “Arsenal of Wellness” by supplying necessary medical equipment to combat the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis.
Sources:
Story taken from The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an American at War, by AJ Baime.
Business Insider: General Motors and Ventec are gearing up to make critically needed ventilators in Indiana to fight the coronavirus pandemic
Reuters – Health News: Over hectic weekend, New York factories retool to make coronavirus face shields for nurses
All photos are from Wikimedia Commons.
