- The Ford Volunteer Corps is collecting, packing and serving food at dozens of locations on a special Accelerated Action Day.
- Hundreds of Ford volunteers are working on high impact hunger-relief projects.
- Accelerated Action Days are part of Ford’s continuing efforts to create a better world and help improve the lives of people in the communities where Ford does business.
DEARBORN, Mich., December 5 – More than 700 Ford employees and retirees have stepped away from the business of building cars and trucks, and stepped into local missions, shelters and food distribution centers to help feed the hungry in their local communities.
During these very difficult times, the calls for help are growing louder and MODEL Teams of Ford volunteers are answering with a focused effort to assist people most in need. On this Accelerated Action Day, the Ford Volunteer Corps will collect and store food, package it for distribution and serve meals to those struggling to meet one of our most basic needs - nourishment.
“During these days of economic hardship, it is more important than ever that we come together as a community and help those less fortunate than ourselves,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “Ford and its employees and retirees have always been good neighbors, and we remain committed to building stronger communities and a better world.”
Many of the organizations benefiting from today’s volunteer effort also receive mini-grants of up to $5,000 from Ford to buy food and other materials needed to complete their projects. More than $80,000 in mini-grants has been awarded to participating agencies, including:
- Capuchin Soup Kitchen - Detroit
- Cass Community Social Services - Detroit
- Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS) - Detroit
- Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries - Detroit
- Fish and Loaves - Taylor
- Focus Hope - Detroit
- Food Gatherers - Ann Arbor
- Gleaners Community Food Bank - Detroit, Pontiac, Warren
- HAVEN - Bloomfield Hills
- Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development (LA SED) - Detroit
- Lighthouse of Oakland County - Pontiac
- Matrix Human Services - Detroit
- Ruth Ellis Center - Highland Park
- Salvation Army - Detroit, Westland
- St. Leo's Soup Kitchen - Detroit
- St. Vincent DePaul - Detroit
This Accelerated Action Day is one of many efforts by Ford to help feed the hungry. Ford Motor Company Fund recently donated $40,000 to support the Meals on Wheels program in Southeast Michigan on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. Ford volunteers will help deliver 11,000 meals to homebound seniors on the two holidays. Ford also is a partner with Wayne State University in the innovative SEED Wayne program that is designed to create sustainable food resources through urban farming and other initiatives to build locally-grown food supplies.
“In good times and bad, Ford and its employees and retirees have always answered the call to help,” said Janet Lawson, director, Ford Volunteer Corps. “We’re proud of our tradition of caring and the positive impact it is having on the lives of many people in need.”
Accelerated Action Days are concentrated one-day efforts to meet critical needs identified by our agency partners. This is the fourth Accelerated Action Day in 2008. In March, we addressed Promises in Action and the needs of children. The second, in May, zeroed in on the environment and included Ford’s annual Rouge River Cleanup in Southeast Michigan. In September, Community Building was the theme with projects centered on safety and shelter. Children and Families will again get our undivided attention in March, 2009 on the next Accelerated Action Day.
In 2008, more than 21,000 Ford employees have volunteered nearly 124,000 hours to help people in their local communities. That’s the equivalent of nearly $2.5 million dollars of in-kind corporate contributions. Ford Motor Company encourages salaried employees to take two work days per year and volunteer their services in their communities.
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About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services is committed to creating opportunities that promote corporate citizenship, philanthropy, volunteerism and cultural diversity for those who live in the communities where Ford operates. Established in 1949 and made possible by funding from Ford Motor Company, Ford Motor Company Fund supports initiatives and institutions that foster innovative education, auto-related safety, and American heritage and legacy. National programs include Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies, which provides high school students with academically rigorous 21st century learning experiences, and Driving Skills for Life, a teen-focused auto safety initiative. The Ford Volunteer Corps, established in 2005, continues Ford's legacy of caring worldwide. Through the Volunteer Corps, Ford employees and retirees participate in a wide range of volunteer projects in their communities. For more information on programs made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services, visit www.community.ford.com.
