Babies are adorable – and expensive, especially when it comes to formula and diapers. Seeing a need in the community, the Ford Motor Company Fund contributed $100,000 to Gleaners, enabling Gleaners to buy 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.”
The need is great. There are more than 200,000 children in the Southeast Michigan region – nearly 20 percent of the total population – who don’t know where their next meal will come from.
This year, with help from The Kroger Company, Gleaners was able to make this year’s Ford Donation go further and buy more formula. Volunteers from Ford loaded cases of baby formula onto Ford Mobile Food Pantries along with 11,000 diapers collected in the company’s annual employee Diaper and 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.”
Additional groups that benefitted from the event include:
- Starfish
- Lighthouse
- Matrix Human Services
- Zaman
- Focus Hope
- Forgotten Harvest
The Ford Baby Formula Drive accepts donations from the public, so If you want to contribute, text FORD to 41444 and follow the link. You’ll be supporting local families and helping them provide a bright start for their children.
