Closing the ‘Last Mile’ to Deliver Fresh Food This Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving season, as families prepare to gather and give thanks, it's a moment to reflect on what makes our communities strong: healthy families. And at the heart of that health is fresh, nutritious food. Yet, for far too many, accessing fresh food remains a significant challenge: 2.3 million households – that's 6.2 million people – live over a mile from a grocery store and lack personal transportation.

That's why Ford Philanthropy is proud to announce an investment of $4 million to support fresh food access, with a dedicated focus on mobile food programs at over 20 local food banks and community organizations in Ford’s U.S. plant communities.

While we know Ford cannot remove these barriers all on our own, what we can do is use the strength and expertise of Ford to do our part to close that last mile to ensure fresh food reaches those who need it most. Building on Ford Philanthropy’s longtime focus on fresh food access, we are helping organizations deliver food to homes, build mobile market vehicles, and run pop-up food distributions, connecting families with vital food and nutrition.

• In Detroit, our partnership with DoorDash's Project DASH is delivering over 700 food boxes monthly from Gleaners Community Food Bank to families in Southeast Michigan.
• In Louisville, Dare to Care expanded access to nutritious frozen meals through home delivery to low-income seniors, scaling monthly distribution from 300 to over 3,200 meals.
• In Kansas City, a retrofitted cargo van with refrigeration and customized storage is expanding Cultivate KC’s Dotte Mobile Grocer delivery zone to reach more communities in Kansas and Missouri.
• In West Tennessee, the YMCA of Memphis and Mid-South’s fresh food access program expanded to include four new distribution sites across Haywood and Brownsville counties, easing the distance to travel to access food.
• In Chicago, Greater Chicago Food Depository is operating a central food market at City College of Chicago to increase students’ access to fresh, nutritious food while saving them an extra trip to a grocery store.

Throughout this year, we've made significant strides in increasing fresh food access nationwide. Ford Philanthropy’s support is expected to help local food banks and non-profit partners provide more than 5.9 million meals to over 362,000 individuals, including many students and seniors, across our plant communities. In addition, Ford Dealers hosted the World's Largest Auto Dealer Food Drive, collecting over 2 million pounds* of food for local food banks and pantries globally.

Our efforts to increase access to fresh food is an example of how we're bringing the collective power of Ford to strengthen communities. Through Ford Building Together, Ford and Ford Philanthropy launched a national partnership with Feeding America, increasing our support for food banks and pantries across the country. This commitment was demonstrated when Ford employees volunteered at the North Plano Food Bank in Texas in July, packing emergency food boxes for families affected by the devastating Kerr County floods.

In the weeks ahead, we will continue to bring our people, our resources, and our core expertise in mobility to the table to bridge transportation gaps and help ensure fresh, nutritious food reaches the communities that need it most.

Mary Culler is President of Ford Philanthropy

** Based on competitive global OEM dealer research and the number of Ford Dealers Participating in Collection of Donated Food.