When our communities need us, DTE and the DTE Foundation are there to help. From providing nearly three million meals to helping 500,000 families with basic needs support, our Foundation has been fully activated to help Michigan weather this crisis – including keeping first responders and medical professionals safe by donating 2 million KN95 respirator masks.
DTE employee Ken Crandall delivers KN95 respirator masks to Henry Ford Health System as part of the DTE Foundation’s donation of 100,000 of respirator masks to area hospitals.
In the weeks leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, DTE’s supply chain team was already working on sourcing KN95 respirator masks to keep our employees safe. By the time Michigan became heavily impacted, Supply Chain had identified sources for these masks and went to work bringing them to Michigan for the safety of first responders and medical professionals. The DTE Foundation led the effort from a philanthropic standpoint, donating the masks and coordinating delivery to frontline organizations in need.
“We’re just getting started. The DTE Foundation is pulling out all the stops to help protect the heroes of our communities,” said DTE President and CEO Jerry Norcia. “For weeks, the DTE Foundation and its partners have been feeding Michiganders and equipping first responders. Now, thanks to the tenacity of our remarkable supply chain team, we can protect the Detroit-area health care workers who are on the front lines of this pandemic.”
DTE ordered the masks with the help of Choctaw-Kaul, a minority-owned company in Detroit. As part of the Foundation’s $16 million commitment to help our home state through this crisis, it is donating these masks and coordinating the distribution of the masks with county emergency managers who are determining the distribution priority.
“We have the best supply chain team in the country,” said Tony Tomczak, vice president of corporate services and chief procurement officer. “They brought their hearts and their incredible skills to securing these masks helping those on the front lines of the crisis stay safe. This was a complex project that required a lot of creativity and tenacity. It’s one we will always be proud of and never forget.”