Ford Volunteers Pack, Prepare and Serve Meals, Take Action to Help
Feed Thousands in Our Communities
DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
- Hundreds of Ford volunteers are stepping away from their jobs
and going to work in soup kitchens, food banks and shelters on a
Ford Accelerated Action Day
- Ford employees are working in MODEL Teams at more than three
dozen locations around Metro Detroit.
- Ford and its employees participate in many hunger-relief
efforts throughout the year, donating vehicles, dollars and
manpower to help our communities
The Ford Volunteer Corps is cooking, and also serving meals and
stocking shelves on a Ford Accelerated Action Day dedicated to
feeding the hungry.
More than 600 Ford employees have teamed up with nonprofit
hunger relief partners in our communities to feed men, women and
children in need. MODEL Teams of Ford volunteers are stocking
warehouse shelves at food banks, cooking and serving meals at
shelters and packing food boxes for delivery to those who struggle
every day to find food for themselves and their
families.
"Ford and its employees are making a difference and stepping up
once again to help bring back some of the joy of the season that is
missing for many of our neighbors," said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund
and Community Services. "We are grateful that we have resources and
helping hands to share with the less fortunate in our
communities."
Many of the organizations participating in today's volunteer
effort will share more than $53,000
in Ford grants to buy the food and materials needed to complete
their projects. Those partners include:
Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Detroit - Pack emergency food boxes & help
distribute
City Mission, Detroit - Prepare holiday dinner, fill pantry
and stockings
COTS, Detroit - Prepare & serve holiday meal,
pack food boxes
Detroit Rescue Mission
Ministries, Detroit -
Help pack food boxes
Focus: HOPE, Detroit - Pack holiday food boxes &
deliver to needy seniors
Food Gatherers,
Ann Arbor – Pack 720 food boxes,
each with 25 meals
Lighthouse of Oakland County, Pontiac - Sort & stock pantry & food
storages areas
Matrix Human Services,
Detroit - Assemble, wrap &
distribute 300 food baskets
Ruth Ellis
Center, Highland Park -
Prepare meals & care packages for homeless
youth
Salvation Army - Harbor Light,
Detroit - Pack lunches, ride Bed
& Bread truck, distribute food
Society of St.
Vincent de Paul, Detroit - Sort & pack emergency food packs
at Gleaners
Southwest Housing Solutions,
Detroit - Decorate, assemble
holiday kits & host a party
Starfish Family
Services, Inkster -
Process 30,000 pounds of food, assemble pantry
shelving
Veteran's Haven, Westland - Pack 200 "Pantry Packs" at Gleaners
for needy vets
Vista Maria, Dearborn Hts. -
Install holiday decorations outdoors; cook with girls
This is one of many efforts supported by Ford and its employees
throughout the year to help feed the hungry, including a 12 year
partnership with Newman's Own® that has contributed 107
refrigerated Ford trucks to help Feeding America deliver more than
209 million meals to families across the country. Ford Motor
Company Fund also has provided Transit Connect Mobile Food Pantries
to 25 community organizations that deliver food and help with
disaster relief in states from coast to coast.
In addition to today's activities, the Ford Volunteer Corps held
a Winter Coat and Jacket Drive in southeast Michigan to help keep children and families
warm during the winter months.
"It isn't easy seeing so many of our neighbors hungry or down on
their luck," said Janet Lawson,
director, Ford Volunteer Corps. "But Ford and its employees care,
and it is gratifying to see our volunteers pitching in and
comforting so many. It makes all of us truly thankful and
appreciative for what we have."
About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community
Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community
Services works with community partners to advance driving safety,
education and community life. The Ford Motor Company Fund has
operated for more than 60 years with ongoing funding from Ford
Motor Company (NYSE: F). The award-winning Ford Driving Skills
for Life program teaches new drivers through a variety of hands-on
and interactive methods. Innovation in education is encouraged
through programs that enhance high school learning and provide
college scholarships and university grants. Through the Ford
Volunteer Corps, more than 25,000 Ford employees and retirees each
year work on projects that better their communities in more than 20
countries. For more information, visit
www.community.ford.com.
SOURCE Ford Motor Company