Last week, I wrote a brief opinion piece for the Idaho Statesman, the local newspaper of Boise, where Micron is headquartered, which detailed our company’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic thus far. We continue to take proactive measures to protect our team and are applying the full strength and resources of Micron’s business to support our communities worldwide. Today, we announced Micron will provide $35 million in relief to help those disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

Many of the efforts listed below came together in the last week. Each required urgent action by the Micron team. I’m writing this blog to highlight their great work and encourage you to think creatively about how you can best leverage your own resources. If you think Micron might partner with you to achieve even more, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Support for Our Communities

• $10M COVID-19 Relief Fund
  Today, we announced a $10 million fund through the Micron Foundation to aid recovery from the pandemic. The money will assist global efforts to spur economic recovery and provide much-needed community resources for food banks, health facilities, school meal programs and online learning resources. One of the first distributions from this fund is a $500,000 grant to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to help our partners at the Second Harvest Food Bank and our lower-income neighbors in San Jose.
• Company Match for COVID-19 Charitable Campaigns
  Micron team members are extraordinarily generous in donating both their time and their money. We amplify that generosity by matching eligible team member charitable giving 1:1, up to $2,000 per year. To address the great need, we are doubling that match to 2:1 for key charities assisting our local communities in their fight against COVID-19. The team’s response so far has been amazing, raising $120,000 for communities in the United States, China, and Italy.
• Donating Personal Protective Equipment
  Micron has donated surplus protective equipment and health scanning systems to local hospitals and testing centers. We will deliver 300,000 protective masks and we continue to seek out opportunities to use our supply chain capabilities to help provide aid.
• Real Estate for Hospital Overflow
  We have offered some of our real estate properties to local officials to support hospitals in the event that community facilities become overwhelmed, or if buildings are needed for patient staging and isolation.

Support for Our Partners

• Expediting Payments to Small Businesses
  Small businesses are disproportionately affected by the economic effects of the pandemic. We are accelerating payments to over 500 small businesses we work with to help ensure they have the cash flow needed during this time.
• Expediting Product Sales for Medical Equipment
  Our team is flagging any product shipments bound for medical systems for urgent priority.

Support for Our Team Members

• COVID-19 Assistance Payment to our Team
  Micron will provide a one-time payment for many team members in April to help them through the extra expenses and hardships caused by the pandemic. In the U.S., Micron team members earning less than $100,000 in annual base pay will receive a payment of $1,000, with appropriately scaled amounts to those who are eligible in all countries where we operate. More than two thirds of our team will receive this payment.
• Team Member Relief Fund
  We are establishing a fund that Micron team members can access for greater relief in significant hardship situations. The fund will provide up to $5,000 of aid per employee, based on need. Micron team members will be able to contribute to this fund to directly support their colleagues.

To ensure all Micron’s aid efforts are as effective as possible, I’ve asked our Chief Business Officer, Sumit Sadana, to lead a COVID-19 community assistance task force to coordinate our response worldwide.

What Can You Do to Help?

We do not get to choose our circumstances, but we do get to choose our actions. I strongly believe that in unprecedented and challenging times like these, Micron’s actions must leverage the best of who we are as a company – our people, our assets and our creativity – to help humankind.

If you are a business or community leader, I implore you to adopt this mindset. What do you do best, and how can you apply those skills to help? Be decisive and move with urgency. Your community needs you.

Individuals have an important role here as well. Reach out to your own networks to understand what’s needed. Contribute to the relief efforts in your community that are doing the most good. Find a way to help personally – do you have an elderly neighbor you can check in on? Above all, follow guidelines that help us blunt the spread of the coronavirus – we must all act together to put the needs of the community above our own.

This is a historic moment that will truly test our ability to unite as a global community. Let’s all work together to marshal our resources to contribute to the world as compassionately and effectively as we can.