FORD MOTOR COMPANY FUND INVESTS $2.3M TO ADDRESS HUNGER IN DETROIT, LOUISVILLE AND OTHER U.S. CITIES
- Partnerships with Feeding America®, DoorDash and local food banks focus on mobility solutions to expand access for communities experiencing food insecurity
- Ford is committed to building strong communities everywhere its employees live and work. Its 24 U.S. plant communities are active in supporting local causes and that philanthropic spirit drives these investments in cities where the company has a manufacturing presence
- Ford Fund to invest $2.3 million to expand access to fresh food, including $1.25 million in innovation grants to Feeding America food banks and $320,000 to support home meal delivery in collaboration with DoorDash
Ford Motor Company Fund (Ford Fund), the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, announced today a $2.3 million investment in mobility solutions focused on expanding access to fresh food in cities where Ford has manufacturing plants.
Ford is committed to building strong communities everywhere its employees live and work. The company employs more UAW-represented autoworkers than any other company, and its 24 U.S. plant communities are active in supporting local causes. That same philanthropic spirit is driving these investments in cities where the company has a manufacturing presence.
Today, more than 34 million Americans, including 9 million children, are experiencing food insecurity. In honor of Hunger Action Month this September, Ford Fund is announcing partnerships with food banks, DoorDash and Feeding America® to help individuals and families facing hunger access the food they need through mobile delivery. By investing in mobility solutions, Ford Fund and its partners are deploying transportation and technology resources to food banks to help bridge the gap between access to transportation and food.
“More and more people are facing hunger across the U.S. today, causing an unprecedented strain on families and food banks across the country,” said Luisa Schumacher, senior manager of essential services at Ford Fund. “We are committed to working shoulder to shoulder with local organizations to address the rise in food insecurity and reach more people in our Ford communities.”
As part of this announcement, Ford Fund is committing $320,000 to local food banks in Detroit, Louisville, Memphis and West Tennessee to broaden access to meals using home delivery. Through a collaboration with DoorDash’s Project DASH, Ford Fund’s investment will help empower food banks and food pantries to leverage DoorDash logistics to increase access to food services in their communities.
DoorDash is a pioneering leader in the mobile food-delivery sector. DoorDash drivers, also known as Dashers, will deliver food and fresh produce from participating food banks to nearly 2,500 households per month, including catering to transportation-limited individuals and families.
Participating food banks include:
- Dare to Care Food Bank in Louisville
- Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan
- Mid-South Food Bank in Western Tennessee
“We’re proud to partner with food banks and Ford Fund to power the delivery of food to households across the U.S.,” said Daniel Riff, senior manager, DoorDash Drive Government and Nonprofit. “Local delivery has helped anti-hunger organizations break down transportation barriers and provide important resources to people in a dignified and convenient way.”
Ford Fund is also committing $1.25 million in innovation grants to Feeding America food banks in Ford’s home-base communities later this year. The grants will enable food banks to create and scale innovative mobility solutions that address food insecurities, such as access to fresh food in areas where it is otherwise unavailable. Participating food banks will be located in upstate New York, Illinois, Ohio, Southeast Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and South Florida.
“People are working hard to provide for themselves and their families,” said Casey Marsh, chief development officer, Feeding America. “This partnership with Ford Fund, and the challenges we’ll meet together, bring us one step closer to an America where no one is hungry.”
Ford Fund is committing the remaining investments to partnerships with:
- Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan
- Fishes and Loaves in Southeast Michigan
- Detroit Food Academy
- The Salvation Army Bed and Bread Club
- Eastern Market in Detroit
Ford Fund has a long history of supporting local communities through food services as part of its network of Ford Resource and Engagement Centers, which bring nonprofits, residents and leaders together to support their neighborhoods. In partnership with Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, a community-based food bank in Detroit, Ford’s community resource centers in Southwest Detroit and on Detroit’s east side distribute food to 1,500 families every week via client pickup and home delivery for under-served and transportation-limited residents.