Together Detroit: Carhartt, Chevrolet, Marathon and New Balance give back

One thing the COVID-19 pandemic is showing on a daily basis is how interconnected we all are and how everyone working together can help everyone get through this.

Several companies who partner with the Detroit Red Wings are stepping up to help front-line workers in need.

Many people, particularly those in Michigan, are familiar with Carhartt, the company that makes durable workwear.

The Dearborn, Mich.-based company has already shifted to producing personal protective equipment (PPE) to help supply those on the front lines, which include doctors, nurses, police, firefighters, other first responders and other health care workers.

Carhartt said they would use their Camden, Tenn. plant and three Kentucky facilities to produce 50,000 medical gowns starting April 6 and 2.5 million masks starting April 20.

"Serving and answering the call during times of need has always been an integral part of Carhartt's history and it's why consumers have trusted us to have their back for more than 130 years," Carhartt CEO Mark Valade said in a press release. "We are humbled and honored to help all the essential workers serving and protecting us right now."

Chevrolet's parent company, General Motors, is another Michigan company that has moved into production of masks.

According to their website, GM's team of engineers, designers, buyers and manufacturers were able to convert their Warren, Mich. facility into a mask production facility in less than seven days.

Their projections say the facility will be able to manufacture 50,000 masks every day and approximately 1.5 million every month.

Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum Corporation is also answering the call to help front-line workers secure as much personal protective equipment as possible.

In late March, Marathon announced that it had sent its entire stock of PPE to hospitals, health care organizations and its own facilities across the country.

More than 500,000 pieces of personal protective equipment, which includes N95 respirator masks and gloves, have been delivered to 45 hospitals and health care organizations in 20 states.

Of that, Marathon donated almost 40,000 N95 respirator masks to healthcare facilities in Michigan, including Henry Ford Hospital.

New Balance has also been innovative in personal protective equipment production.

With the incredible need for masks at hospitals and health care facilities across the country, New Balance developed a new face mask prototype and aimed at a goal of making 100,000 per week combined at their Lawrence, Mass. and Norridgewock, Maine factories.

New Balance was able to transfer materials and machines that are normally used to make sneakers into materials and machines to make masks.

The company is also exploring ways to manufacture other protective gear, including gowns and shoe coverings, in conjunction with their U.S.-based 3D printing capabilities.