Giving Back: Ford Employees Dedicated 620 Volunteer Hours to Disaster Relief and More During National Volunteer Week

Ford employees came out in full force celebrating National Volunteer Week last month, choosing from more than 20 volunteer projects with Ford Fund partners across Southeast Michigan.  

Two hundred employees dedicated their time to making hot meals, mucking out flood damaged homes, planting trees and cleaning up parks. Partners in need of extra help this year included:

• Team Rubicon – a veteran-led humanitarian organization serving global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises
• Gleaners – a food bank with five distribution centers across southeast Michigan
• Belle Isle Conservancy – a 982-acre island park located in Detroit
• The Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread Truck program - a truck that delivers meals to men, women, and children unable to reach a food pantry. 

Team Rubicon

"Strengthening the communities where we work and live is central to Ford’s purpose: to help build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. And one way that we live this purpose is by rolling up our sleeves and getting to work when help is needed. Ford was honored to partner with Team Rubicon to provide assistance and support disaster relief efforts in the communities impacted by the floods,” said Cynthia Williams, Global Director of Sustainability, Homologation & Compliance at Ford.

Ford volunteers worked alongside Team Rubicon to help clean out Detroit homes still affected by flooding that occurred in 2021. Volunteers helped 42 forgotten families who had been promised for two years that help would arrive. Ford Fund has been a longtime champion of Team Rubicon helping the organization grow as flooding, wildfires, tornados, and hurricanes impact more people each year.

Gleaners

"Volunteering gives me a sense of perspective and reignites my drive to make the most of my life and family. It's a fulfilling experience to make even the smallest impact in someone's life and see their gratitude. Having Ford encourage and support me to volunteer during work hours means a lot to me and is one of the many reasons why I am a Ford lifer,” said Michael Moore, Social Sustainability ESG Analyst at Ford.

Over 70 Ford Fund volunteers came together to help "Stamp Out Hunger” and to support Gleaners. The team folded grocery bags and stapled them to informational postcards for mail carriers to deliver to Southeast Michigan mailboxes. The bags serve as a reminder to donate food during the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive. The volunteers 

prepared 8,550 bags. Volunteers also dedicated time at the Gleaners South Campus Distribution Center in Taylor where they sorted and packed donated food to serve our neighbors in need.

“I’m proud to work with a company that values volunteering and encourages all of us to engage with communities,” said Larry Merritt, Environmental Safety Compliance.

Belle Isle Conservancy

Ford Volunteer Corps and community members collected litter around Belle Isle. Volunteers collected 3,400 lbs. of plastic pollution and other litter from the park and its waterways, removing pollution at the source, and preventing it from impacting our Great Lakes and the world’s oceans.

The Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread Truck program

Volunteers prepared meals to be distributed by the Bed & Bread truck to 60 stops along three routes to reach Detroit residents with limited access to food. The program serves more than 1.3 million meals and provides more than 72,000 nights of shelter to those in need throughout the year. 

You Can Give Back too!

Ford offers salaried employees up to 16 hours of paid time each year to volunteer in their community. Even though only salaried employees are entitled to company-paid volunteer hours, the Ford Volunteer Corps program is open to anyone with a Ford CDSID.

To learn how you can get involved, please visit https://www.fordphilanthropy.org/mobilizing-volunteers.