Today, Over 600 Ford Employees Are Helping Their Communities On A Ford Accelerated Action Day

Today, over 600 Ford employees who are part of the Ford Volunteer Corps have teamed up with nonprofit partners at food banks, shelters, and care centers and are out in the community on a Ford Accelerated Action Day dedicated to feeding the hungry. Working in MODEL teams at more than three dozen locations in four states, including Arizona, Michigan, South Carolina and Washington, the employees are cooking, serving meals, sorting food, stocking shelves, and making deliveries to feed men, women, and children in need.

“Ford and its employees are committed to building stronger communities and one of the most important ways we do that is by helping meet some of the most basic needs of our neighbors,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “We are very thankful for all we have and it just comes naturally to share some of our good fortune with the less fortunate in our communities.”

According to Ford, several of the nonprofit organizations participants in today’s volunteer activities will share $85,000 in Ford grants to buy the food and materials needed to complete their projects, Those partners include:

• Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Detroit – Pack and distribute emergency food packages
• City Mission, Detroit – Prepare holiday dinner, fill pantry and stockings
• COTS, Detroit – Prepare & serve holiday meal to residents and guests
• Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, Detroit – Help pack food boxes for families
• Focus: HOPE, Detroit – Pack holiday food boxes for needy seniors
• Food Gatherers, Ann Arbor – Assemble 720 food boxes
• HAVEN, Pontiac – Make improvements to kitchen and food pantry
• Lighthouse of Oakland County, Pontiac – Transport food, sort and fill food pantry
• Matrix Human Services, Detroit – Assemble, wrap & distribute food baskets
• Ruth Ellis Center, Highland Park – Prepare meals & care packages for homeless youth
• Salvation Army – Harbor Light, Detroit – Distribute food on Bed & Bread truck, prepare lunch
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Detroit – Sort & pack emergency food at Gleaners
• Southwest Solutions, Detroit – Pack basic needs kits, prepare and serve lunch
• Veteran’s Haven, Wayne – Organize food warehouse, distribute food to veterans
• Veteran’s Haven, Westland – Package “pantry packs” at Gleaners for needy vets

In addition to today’s efforts, Ford Motor Company and its employees support various hunger relief efforts throughout the year, including:

• Holiday Meals on Wheels program
• Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread Club

Ford is also partnering with the Parade Company to feed the hungry through Gleaners Community Food Bank, while providing Transit Connect mobile food pantries and disaster relief vehicles to 36 community organizations that deliver food and help communities from coast to coast.

“Ford has a culture of caring that spans generations,” said Janet Lawson, director, Ford Volunteer Corps. “Go Further is not just a slogan. It is how we work together with our partners to meet the challenges of creating a better world.”