Ford Dealers support CSKT, Lake County Boys and Girls Club
Aaric Cooksley, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation & Lake County receives a check from Don Aadsen Ford owner Gordon Henricksen, general manager Eric Henricksen, and Ann Henricksen owner. (Courtesy photo)
Ford Motor Company Fund and local Ford Dealers are donating individual Grants to 65 boys and girls Clubs across the Pacific Northwest to help feed children during the holidays.
It is estimated nearly 24 percent of children are food insecure, defined as unsure how their next meal will be provided.
In total, the Ford Focus on Child Hunger campaign has donated more than $3 million to programs across the region as part of the company’s work to address food access issues.
This year, they have donated $100,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Washington, Oregon, northern Idaho, Montana and Alaska to help feed children during the holidays. This donation is in response to the increased demand for nutritious meals during the holidays, when many children lose access to school nutrition programs.
Sixty-five clubs across the five-state region are receiving $1000-$1100 Grants from Ford Fund as part of the annual Ford Focus on Child Hunger campaign.
In addition, participating Northwest Ford Dealers will match or exceed these grants to their own community’s Boys and Girls Club.
These donations will expand the previously launched campaign and increase the number of children who benefit from this hunger initiative. The money will be used to provide meals and snacks at the Clubs during the holiday season. With holiday school closures, the Boys and Girls Clubs see a seasonal increase in the number of kids needing services.
“The holidays can bring extra stress for families in trying to provide nutritious meals for their children,” said Kristin Ford, Program Manager, Ford Motor Company Fund. “It’s the perfect time of year to support our communities and we hope this donation will inspire others to join us in the fight against child hunger now, and all year long.”
Ford Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, is working in several ways to address food access and food insecurity throughout the U.S.
In addition to these efforts, earlier this year, Ford dealers in the region collected 193,000 pounds of peanut butter - enough to
make nearly 6.4 million peanut butter sandwiches – to help feed kids during the summer when school nutrition programs are closed.
“Ford’s ongoing commitment to hunger-alleviating programs in Boys and Girls Clubs across the Northwest region is making the holidays that much brighter for thousands of kids and their families,” said Katya Miltimore, Executive Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Washington State. “We appreciate being able to engage local dealers, and work side by side with them to address this most pressing human need.”