“Michigan needs to continue to ‘mask up’ to protect us all from COVID-19,” Whitmer said in a press release. “Vulnerable populations may have difficulties buying masks and our schools need face coverings to keep students, staff and community members safe. I am thrilled that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Ford and FEMA are working together to help control the spread of the coronavirus.”

FEMA has already sent 1.5 million masks to organizations including local Community Action Agencies serving low-income residents, MDHHS offices, Area Agencies on Aging, homeless shelters and Native American tribes.

Another 1 million masks from FEMA and 1.5 million from Ford will go to low-income schools, the city of Detroit, Federally Qualified Health Centers, some COVID-19 testing sites as well as the other organizations to keep reaching vulnerable populations, including minority residents who have been affected by the virus as a result of racism, the release said.

Automaker Ford’s involvement in MI Mask Aid makes it a public-private partnership that can provide additional free masks.

“Manufacturing is the backbone of America and from World War II to fighting COVID-19, Ford has a rich history of stepping up in times of crisis to help Michigan and our country,” Ford Motor Company President and CEO Jim Hackett said in a press release. “And today we continue in our efforts, with the State of Michigan and in coordination with the Task Force on Racial Disparities, by donating face masks to serve communities especially vulnerable to COVID-19. We also will continue to look for ways to address urgent needs of our communities by leveraging our partnerships through the Ford Motor Company Fund.”

The project is also in partnership with Whitmer’s Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, which Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II chairs.

"I’m thankful for our partners at Ford, FEMA and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for coming together in a big way to ensure that our communities, particularly those hardest hit, have what they need to get through these tough times," Gilchrist said. "By delivering four million masks at no cost to Michiganders, we can provide a proven, lifesaving device to countless residents as they go back to work, school, and define new way of living during this pandemic."