As part of the company’s manufacturing pivot to meet the demands of the ongoing pandemic, Milliken now manufactures and retails reusable Level 1 PPE gowns made with Perimeter™ medical fabric that are typically used in healthcare settings. 

“As our communities prepared to transition back to in-person learning, we recognized the immediate need for PPE to support a safe environment for our children and their teachers,” shares Chad McAllister, president of Milliken’s Textile Division. “

We wanted to donate our products to make a difference.”Milliken is donating 23,040 gowns to 15 school districts in Upstate South Carolina—Cherokee County School District, Union County Schools, Spartanburg County School Districts One through Seven, Greenville County Schools and Anderson School Districts One through Five. Each district will distribute gowns to faculty and staff for general protective use within their facilities. 

“Community and business partnerships have always been the cornerstones of school district success, more so now than ever before,” states Dr. Ronald W. Garner, Spartanburg District One superintendent and chairman of Spartanburg County Superintendents. “Milliken and Company is an important partner to Spartanburg County schools, and we are thankful for their generous donation of PPE that shows their investment in the health of our school communities."

“Union County Schools is very appreciative of Milliken & Company for donating their protective gowns to our district,” adds Eric Childers, director of administration for Union County Schools. “COVID-19 has proved to be  extremely challenging to handle for all schools, in particular districts like ours, where funding is limited. We feel very fortunate to have a company like Milliken reach out to us and provide protective equipment during this pandemic for our nurses, special education workers and teachers.”