Hundreds of Ford Employees Feed the Hungry in Their Local Communities

Ford Motor Company Fund provided more than $91,000 in grants to purchase supplies for today’s volunteer projects

Ford and Ford Fund are donating $1.3 million in financial support, grants, vehicles and other assistance for hunger relief this fall

DEARBORN, MI -- December 12, 2014: Collecting food, stocking shelves, and serving meals are all in a day’s work for Ford volunteers on a Ford Accelerated Action Day. Today, more than 700 Ford employees are on the job in soup kitchens, food banks, shelters and care centers across the U.S., teaming up with nonprofit partners to assist the needy during this holiday season

Ford’s nonprofit partners created more than 50 projects in eight states that focus on the most urgent needs of the people they serve. Hunger relief is the top priority for today’s activities and many of the participating agencies will share more than $91,000 in Ford Fund grants to buy the food and materials needed to complete the day’s work.

“Helping to meet the most basic needs of our neighbors is the first step toward creating a better world,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “Hunger affects one in six Americans. That’s 49 million people each year. We have a lot of reasons to be thankful and one of them is being able to share some of our good fortune with the less fortunate in our communities.”

Nonprofit partners in southeast Michigan receiving up to $5,000 in grants for today’s projects include:

Advanced Technology Academy, Dearborn – Assemble family holiday food packages

Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Detroit – Assemble & distribute emergency food packages

COTS, Detroit – Prepare & serve holiday lunch to emergency shelter residents

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, Detroit – Serve holiday lunch for homeless

Fish & Loaves, Taylor – Restock & organize client choice food pantry

Focus HOPE, Detroit – Prepare food packages for homebound senior citizens

Food Gatherers, Ann Arbor – Assemble emergency food packages

HAVEN, Pontiac – Install food pantry shelving & prepare food care packages

Lighthouse of Oakland County, Pontiac – Transport food & organize food pantry

Matrix Human Services, Detroit – Assemble emergency food packages & serve hot lunch

Ruth Ellis Center, Detroit – Assemble emergency food packages & organize, restock food pantry

Salvation Army, Detroit – Prepare & serve lunch, pack & distribute food for Bed & Bread truck

St. Vincent de Paul, Detroit – Sort and pack food at Gleaners Community Food Bank

Veteran's Haven, Detroit – Distribute monthly food packages & organize food pantry

“We know that finding enough to eat is a daily struggle for thousands in our community,” said Janet Lawson, director, Ford Volunteer Corps. “Through our volunteer efforts and nonprofit partnerships, our fleet of Ford Mobile Food Pantries and the generous donations of so many, we hope to ease that struggle not just over the holidays but throughout the year.”

The Ford Volunteer Corps is active in local communities across the country and around the world. In September, thousands of Ford employees gather on six continents during Ford Global Week of Caring to perform critical community service work to benefit people in their local cities, towns and villages.

Ford Motor Company and Ford Fund, its philanthropic arm, are contributing $1.3 million in financial support, grants, vehicles and other assistance to hunger-relief organizations this fall. The donations include a new Ford Transit for the Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread Club, and a text-to-donate campaign with Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center, Ford and Feeding America®. Supporters can make a $10 donation by texting MEAL to 50555. The campaign runs through the Quick Lane Bowl, which takes place at 4:30 p.m. EST, Dec. 26, at Ford Field in Detroit. A $10 donation helps Feeding America provide 100 meals on behalf of member food banks. Ford will provide up to $250,000 in matching donations.