Ten years ago, the late actor/philanthropist Paul Newman approached Bill Ford, who was at the time chairman and CEO of the Ford Motor Company, to discuss ways to fight hunger in rural America. The result was a unique partnership that set a new benchmark earlier this year: When the automaker donated nine more refrigerated Ford trucks to the cause, all filled with perishables provided by Newman’s Own, it meant the program had extended its reach to have at least one truck in every one of the 50 states in the U.S.
“Through this unique partnership, Ford Motor Company has remained committed to playing a role in addressing hunger relief throughout good and bad economic times,” said Ford, now executive chairman for the automaker. “To date, our donated trucks have delivered more than 130 million meals to families across the country.”
The fleet of 98 Ford trucks is a vital factor in this effort, said Ford Kansas City, since many of the communities served by Feeding America are hard to reach and require long delivery routes. Without the refrigerated trucks, the fresh produce, meat and dairy products that people in these communities rely on could otherwise end up spoiling before delivery.
“Feeding America provided food and grocery products to more than 37 million Americans last year, an increase of nearly 50 percent in the past four years. We would not have been able to meet this huge increase in need without the generous support of corporations like Newman’s Own and the Ford Motor Company,” according to Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America.
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