General Motors (GM) is investing in the lives of its workers and their communities in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak. The company announced $2.65 million in donations to 40 non-profits today as well as support for employee volunteer efforts.
“Our team at GM has shown ingenuity, creativity and heart as we face this pandemic,” said Mark Reuss, president, General Motors. “We have mobilized our manufacturing capacity to aid response efforts, and we’ve been actively engaged in our communities to help find solutions to new and compounding challenges, especially in education.”
The $2.65 million includes a $1 million grant to the DonorsChoose Keep Kids Learning program, which provides $1,000 credits to 1,000 teachers in high-need school districts to help send basic resources like books, pencils, notebooks, food and cleaning supplies to students’ homes.
“When schools began closing last month, we surveyed over 4,000 teachers from the country’s highest-need districts and found that nearly 70 percent of their students lack resources to learn at home,” said Charles Best, founder and CEO, DonorsChoose. “The unfortunate reality is, when students cannot go to school, the resources available in their homes are going to shape their education, which means coronavirus threatens to widen educational inequity. We’re grateful for General Motors’ support of our Keep Kids Learning program, to help teachers prepare their students to continue learning at home.”
Another $1.65 million in grant funding is being sent to nonprofits providing critical services to communities, like food and housing assistance, small business support, and at-home learning resources for parents, teachers and students.
GM is also working to produce face masks for first responders and health care workers, as well as working with Ventec to create respiratory care products.
