Ford Motor Company Expands Hunger-Relief Programs in New England as Part of Broader Community Commitment

  • Ford Motor Company and its dealers are investing $2 million over five
    years to address hunger in New England
  • Ford contributions include a new Transit van for The Greater Boston
    Food Bank, and Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) teen driving
    programs in Boston and Hartford, Connecticut
  • Innovative community outreach programs are part of Ford’s growing
    community presence across the U.S.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ford Motor Company is expanding its commitment in New England by
launching a new philanthropic initiative with local dealers that will
include $2 million to fight hunger across the region.

Ford Motor Company Fund, the charitable arm of Ford Motor Company, will
provide support, including vehicles, to 10 food banks in Connecticut,
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont
over five years. Ford is working with Feeding America®, the
nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization, in connection with
its outreach in New England.

“More than 12 percent of those living in the New England area lack
reliable access to the food and nutrition needed to thrive,” said Jim
Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “As
part of our commitment to the communities we serve, we are stepping up
our efforts in the fight against hunger.”*

Vella made the announcement at an event with local dealers, community
leaders, and food bank representatives where Ford delivered the keys to
a new Ford Transit van to The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB). GBFB will
use the van to help deliver food to individuals facing hunger in eastern
Massachusetts, becoming part of a national network of Ford Transits the
company launched six years ago to meet hunger needs.

Over the last decade, Ford has helped provide more than 100 additional
vehicles to Feeding America member food banks. These vehicles enable
food banks to collect food and grocery donations received from retail
stores, farmers and manufacturers and get it to people facing hunger.

“The support from Feeding America and Ford Motor Company Fund is
extremely valuable to The Greater Boston Food Bank and our mission,
which is to ‘End Hunger Here,’” said Cheryl Schondek, vice president of
Food Acquisition and Supply Chain at GBFB. “As we enter the busiest time
of year, this partnership will help us distribute more nutritious food
and fresh produce throughout eastern Massachusetts.”

Last year, GBFB distributed 54 million pounds of healthy food. This year
it plans to distribute even more to help the one in nine residents of
eastern Massachusetts who struggle to have enough to eat. Other
recipients of the new hunger-relief grants include the following Feeding
America member food banks:

  • Connecticut: Connecticut Food Bank, East Haven; Foodshare,
    Bloomfield;
  • Maine: Good Shepherd Food Bank, Auburn;
  • Massachusetts: The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts,
    Hatfield; Worcester County Food Bank, Inc., Shrewsbury;
  • New Hampshire: New Hampshire Food Bank, Manchester;
  • New York: Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, Latham;
  • Vermont: Vermont Foodbank, Barre;
  • Rhode Island: Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Providence

Ford announced the latest philanthropic collaboration with its dealers
at an event that also brought the award-winning Ford DSFL program to New
England. Hundreds of teen drivers from the area will experience a safe
driving course that puts them behind the wheel with professional
instructors. Including today’s new programs, Ford and the Ford Fund have
invested more than $12 million in hunger-relief, education and other New
England community service programs over the past 10 years.

Ford’s expanded investments in the New England region are part of Ford
Fund’s Operation Better World initiative. Launched in 2008, the
Operation Better World framework enables the Ford Fund, Ford dealers and
other groups to collaborate on a strategic approach to philanthropy and
more effectively meet community needs. Including New England, the Ford
Fund has launched Operation Better World programs in 25 cities and
regions around the U.S.

* The average food insecurity rate of 12.6% for New England in 2013
reflects the total number of food insecure people across those states
(aggregated by congressional districts) divided by the total population
of all those states (also aggregated by congressional districts). States
include: Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts and
New Hampshire.

About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services

Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community
and global partners to advance driving safety, education and community
life. Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 65 years with
ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. Ford Driving Skills for Life is
free, interactive, hands-on safety training focused on skill development
and driving techniques, while addressing inexperience, distractions and
impaired driving.
Innovation in education is encouraged through
Ford Blue Oval Scholars, Ford Next Generation Learning and other
inspiring programs that enhance high school learning and provide college
scholarships and university grants. The Ford Volunteer Corps enlists
more than 30,000 Ford employees and retirees each year to work on local
projects that strengthen their communities and improve people’s lives in
more than 40 countries around the world. For more information, visit
http://community.ford.com.

For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos and
video, visit www.media.ford.com.

Contacts

Ford Motor Company Fund
Todd Nissen
313.322.4898
tnissen@ford.com

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