We are all in this together.
We are all inundated with the impact of COVID-19. Yet, amid the devastating news, there are stories of hope; people and companies coming together to help our country’s most vulnerable, the heroes in healthcare and our brave first responders.
Within the powersports industry, we've seen Yamaha Motor Manufacturing of America in Newnan, Georgia, donate 380 respirators, 49,000 gloves, 325 Tyvek suits, and 18,000 alcohol wipes to the Piedmont Newnan Hospital. “We thank Yamaha for their support as we provide care to the community during this COVID-19 epidemic. The care we provide each day to our patients, especially during these times of crises, wouldn’t be possible without the support of our community,” said Vicki Kaiser, Executive Director of Community Affairs, Oncology and Support Services at Piedmont Newnan “The acts of kindness shown by our community partners helps encourage our team to push through as we strive to make a positive difference in every life we touch.”
What is Honda doing to help Americans in general during this crisis? Honda’s effort is led by an initial $1 million pledge to food banks and meal programs across the United States, Canada and Mexico and is intended to provide the most vulnerable with access to food. In addition to the $1 million pledge, the company also will implement a special matching gift program that enables Honda associates to make monetary donations to food programs in their local communities, matching up to $1,000 for each individual gift.
In addition, Honda has inventoried its stocks of Personal Protective Equipment at their North American facilities and have donated much of this equipment, including N95 face masks, to support frontline healthcare providers. They are also deploying 3-D printers to manufacture visors for protective face shields that will be used by medical providers.
Polaris, through its foundation, has donated more than $220,000 in technology to meet the needs of local students in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa as they transition to distance learning. This includes donated iPads, Chromebooks, wireless hotspots, chargers, and more. Furthermore, when learning that Smiths Medical, a leading global manufacturer of specialty medical devices, was looking to ramp up their manufacturing of ventilators and IV infusion pumps at their Oakdale, Minnesota, facility, Polaris reached out to see how they could help. This week, several employees from Polaris signed up to work at Smiths’ facility to help production efforts, with the potential to increase the workforce support as Smith continues to assess its need.
In New York City, a group of more than 60 motorcyclists collaborated with MasksforDocs.com, a grassroots campaign created to "get protective supplies into the hands of healthcare workers as quickly as possible." These motorcyclists helped distribute personal protective equipment to some of the neediest doctors and hospitals in the city. We know motorcyclists in many other states are also working to do the same.
If you or anyone you know has a story you want to share with us, please email ckernes@mic.org. We can help you tell your story to a broader audience to provide hope to our community and demonstrate all that we in the power sports industry are doing to help.
We will get through these difficult times, working together to #RideItOut.
Your MIC Team