NC Textile Mills Banded Together During Wartime to Help Soldiers. NOW They are Helping Those on the Front-line of the War Against COVID-19
Part of the Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers exhibit
Across the country, medical workers on the front lines of the response to COVID-19 face a shortage of personal protective equipment. Health officials have said that people buying and hoarding supplies have exacerbated the shortage and forces health care workers to reuse or improvise protective equipment, often with greater risk.
According to the Charlotte Observer, local textile companies are rallying to help the nation.
“Amid warnings of an impending shortage of protective equipment for medical staff, a Gastonia-based textile company is organizing a national effort to ramp up production of face masks for healthcare workers.”
This is not the first time that North Carolina’s textile industry has helped our nation in need. After World War I and the adoption of man-made fibers, nylon replaced silk in tires, tents, ropes, and various military supplies.
From NCpedia.org, North Carolina provided more textile products to the military than any other state, in the form of blankets, sheets, clothing, tents, bandages, and parachutes. Burlington Industries, Inc., became the driving force behind the growth of synthetic textiles in the area. The extraordinary demand of the war years enabled Burlington to expand as a supplier of more than 50 products for the government.
Similar to wartime, companies that are often competitors are banding together to help others in this great time of need.