Ford Fund Donates $100,000 to Gleaners Food Bank to Buy Baby Formula and Diapers, Helping Thousands in Need

• Ford Motor Company Fund contributed $100,000 to Gleaners Community
  Food Bank to purchase enough formula to feed 7,000 infants for a month
• A text-to-give Ford Baby Formula Drive has been set up to encourage
  additional contributions from Ford employees and the public
• Ford Fund donations are part of the volunteer and community service
  activities surrounding Ford Accelerated Action Day, which is dedicated
  to helping children and families

DETROIT–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ford Mobile Food Pantries rolled through metro Detroit today delivering
baby formula and diapers to food banks and other nonprofits. Ford Motor
Company Fund – the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company – donated
$100,000 to Gleaners Community Food Bank to purchase enough formula to
feed 7,000 infants for a month.

“Meeting the most basic needs of families is the first step toward
building stronger communities,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor
Company Fund and Community Services. “Children need nutritious meals to
build a strong foundation mentally and physically, and we hope this
contribution will help give them a healthy start on a promising future.”

With more than 200,000 children in Southeast Michigan – nearly 20
percent of the area’s kids – not knowing where their next meal will come
from, additional support is always welcome. A text-to-give option for
Ford employees and the public has been set up to donate money to
Gleaners for the purchase of more formula.

To contribute any amount by credit or debit card to the Ford Baby
Formula Drive, text FORD to 41444 and follow link.

With help from The Kroger Company, Gleaners was able to stretch this
year’s Ford donation further and purchase more formula than last year.
Ford volunteers loaded cases of baby formula onto Ford Mobile Food
Pantries, including hundreds of additional pounds of formula and more
than 11,000 diapers collected in the company’s annual employee Diaper &
Formula Drive.

“I’m so grateful to Ford and its employees for launching this tremendous
effort to help struggling families with young children,” said Gerry
Brisson, president, Gleaners Community Food Bank. “With these two very
essential needs covered, parents can meet their children’s other needs –
like providing lots of love and giving them a better opportunity to grow
up healthy and strong.”

Ford’s Diaper & Formula Drive was organized by Ford Volunteer Corps as
part of last week’s Accelerated Action Day to help children and
families. Hundreds of Ford volunteers renovated care centers, painted
shelters, sorted food and packed meals at food pantries.

Over the past six years, Ford Motor Company Fund has contributed nearly
$2 million to Gleaners Community Food Bank as part of its commitment to
hunger relief in Southeast Michigan. Gleaners operates four Ford Mobile
Food Pantries, and Ford Resource and Engagement Center in Southwest
Detroit includes a Gleaners client-choice food service hub.

Over the years, Ford Volunteer Corps has enlisted thousands of Ford
employees to sort, pack and deliver meals at Gleaners locations.

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 Driving Dreams, Ford Next Generation Learning
and other innovative 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.

About Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan

Everyone wins when hunger is solved. For nearly 40 years, Gleaners
Community Food Bank has been “feeding hungry people and nourishing our
communities.” Headquartered in Detroit, Gleaners operates five
distribution centers in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe
counties and provides food to 535 partner soup kitchens, food pantries,
shelters and other agencies throughout southeastern Michigan. Gleaners
collects 34.5 million pounds of food a year and distributes 79,000 meals
each day including providing nourishing food and nutrition education to
84,700 children a year. Every dollar donated provides three meals and 93
cents of every donated dollar goes to food and food programs. Learn more
at www.gcfb.org.

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

Contacts

Ford Motor Company
Eric Mitchell
734.612.8267
emitch15@ford.com
or
C
& B Scene
Marcy Hayes
248.336.8360
scene@candbscene.com