[Auto]Ford collaborators raise more than a million dollars from Covid-19

[SougarLord]

The Covid-19 Donation Match Program was established in April to offer Ford employees, their families and friends a way to help combat the growing pandemic that kept them at home without being able to volunteer in the traditional way.

 

"Giving back is one of Ford's key values and that is further exemplified by our employees," said Bill Ford, CEO of Ford Motor Company. "We received so many requests from our collaborators asking how they could help in the early days of the pandemic. The Donation Match program provided a meaningful way for them to join the fight against Covid-19, even at a time when they couldn't be there. physically there to help make a difference. "

 

                                                           

 

Through the program, 47 nonprofit organizations and communities in 20 countries and 14 states in the United States received funds donated by Ford employees, family and friends, which were then matched by $ 500,000 from the Ford Fund and personal contributions from Ford Motor Company CEO Bill Ford.

 

This donation program supported projects in markets with significant coronavirus-related needs and a substantial number of Ford employees. Almost a third - 29 percent - of the funds went to anti-hunger efforts. The next highest percentage, 24 percent, went to projects that met a mix of basic human needs: food, shelter, and clothing, while educational efforts received 19 percent of the funding. The remaining donations supported health-related projects, along with efforts to keep arts programs virtually alive and preserve jobs at institutions that provide historical and cultural education.

 

"This pandemic has impacted every aspect of our daily lives and has put many nonprofits at risk of not being able to serve their communities," said Mary Culler, president of the Ford Fund. "Thanks to the generosity of our collaborators, their families and friends, we were able to support various projects around the world and thus continue the work that these non-profit organizations are doing."

 

The program was administered by GlobalGiving, Ford's partner for disaster relief and global grant awards.

Here is a summary of how donations are used by nonprofits around the world to impact their own communities. In Brazil, Obras Sociais Irmã Dulce fed nearly 1,200 families for a month and delivered nearly 20,000 meals to homeless citizens.

 

In Ontario, Canada, the David McAntony Gibson Foundation distributed 35,000 hygiene kits; 150,000 kg of dry food; as well as 26,000 thank you gifts to frontline workers who care for the most vulnerable in their communities.

In England, St. Mungo's supported the transfer of more than 2,700 homeless people from the streets or emergency shelters to individual hotel rooms. Teams of trainees also provided a full assessment of each person and delivered food and other essential supplies based on specific needs.

 

In Tamilnadu, India, the Indian Association of the Blind provided financial support to more than 250 families with visually impaired members to help them pay for food, medicine and rent.

 

In Italy, the Bambini Mission helped more than 600 low-income families transition their children to online learning during strict quarantine orders. Donations helped provide electronic devices, technology training, and emotional support.

 

In Mexico City, Fondo Unido México collaborated with multiple non-profit organizations on more than 33 community projects that delivered food, personal hygiene kits, medical supplies and emergency kits to people in need. Other projects addressed needs related to education, mental health and emergency assistance.

 

In Craiova, Romania, the Club Asociatia Rotary Craiova Probitas teamed up with the Ion Tiriac Foundation to purchase virus testing equipment and multiply daily tests at the community hospital by 10 times.

 

In Madrid, Spain, Apadrina La Ciencia provided financial support to laboratories that test for Covid-19 specifically for nursing home elderly, resulting in the administration of more than 1,000 additional tests.

 

In South Africa, the Waqful Waqifin Foundation (Gift of the Givers) distributed food and cleaning supplies to low-income residents while testing people in tents set up in key hospitals. In total, more than 180 hospitals and clinics were served and 120,000 boxes of food were delivered to families across the country.

 

In Taiwan, Teach for Taiwan purchased electronic tablets for students who had their classes online.

 

In Istanbul, Turkey, the Cerrahpasa Medical College Foundation provided face masks, ventilators and life-saving medical supplies for its COVID-19 intensive care units. They also provided essential supplies to healthcare workers at one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the country, which serves 3,500 medical students.

 

In Viet Nam, the Center for Living and Learning for Environment and Community provided food and masks to 80 classrooms of visually impaired students in Ha Noi. In Hoan Kiem, 120 families received food pantries, face masks, and supermarket gift cards. In addition, four tons of rice were donated to Ho Chi Minh residents, and 150 students from Ho Chi Minh University of Technology received 2,250 meals and SIM cards.

 

Fourteen nonprofit organizations across the United States also received donations. Between them:

The Detroit-based United Way for Southeastern Michigan awarded 580 grants to local nonprofit agencies, daycare centers and community centers.

The Pope Francis Center, a Detroit homeless shelter, used your donations to continue to provide meals, showers and clothing to the homeless.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, The Ark folk music club created "The Ark Family Room Series," a live schedule that offers four to five performances a week, providing income for musicians and a way for international audiences to participate. in experience. The Ark is also running virtual youth and educational programs and has expanded the reach of social media, keeping people connected to music and to each other.

The Greater Cleveland (Ohio) Food Bank delivered more than 9 million kilos of food to 800 community organizations that distribute meals to families.

In Olympia, Washington, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington received a grant to remain open under the state's Covid-19 restriction guidelines and provide essential child care services. In San Clemente, California, the Boys & Girls Club of the South Shore area delivered nearly 25,000 meals and home activity kits to low-income families during stay-at-home restrictions.

In Northern California, Inter-American Development Assistance (VIDA) Volunteers provided California hospitals with medical equipment such as beds, stretchers, IV supplies, and surgical gowns. They also provided assistance in Latin American countries and sent 74 personal protective equipment and medical supplies to countries throughout the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, as well as 20 teams to China. In addition, its US arm supplied 200 US medical professionals traveling to the Philippines to treat respiratory problems.

The Covid-19 Donation Match program is an example of how the Ford Fund is providing critical assistance to local communities facing issues related to the pandemic. To date, the Ford Fund has invested nearly $ 3 million to support nonprofits in their efforts to address hunger, housing, mobility and other needs around the world.