Ford Investing $1.2 Million Toward Disaster Relief Programs in Puerto Rico
Joe Avila; Miguel Nieves, President, Board of Director, Red Cross; Gabriel Lopez, President, Ford Mexico
Inexplicably, more than three months after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico is still struggling to get back on its feet. While there are those in positions of power who are presumably too busy golfing to consider the needs of the people of Puerto Rico, Ford Motor Company is attempting to help its fellow Americans by investing $1.2 million in disaster relief efforts and working with nonprofits to provide much needed supplies and services to people and communities in need.
Ford is spearheading the Centro de Movilidad Social, a multiyear social mobility program that aims to provide everything from food and water to recovery assistance in the form of grants and job skills training. The program is getting underway this month at Centro Sor Isolina Ferré in Ponce and will expand across the island further in 2018.
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“This effort is at the heart of Ford Fund’s mission to provide opportunities and access for people in need,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund – the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company. “Centro de Movilidad Social allows us to expand our ongoing efforts to help rebuild the lives of thousands of Puerto Ricans following Hurricane Maria.”
Ford is also donating two Transit Connect vans and an F-150 pickup for the purposes of traversing Puerto Rico to help The Salvation Army and Red Cross Puerto Rico as they deliver medical supplies, food, water, clothing, and educational resources. Ford is also donating 10,000 books to help students continue their education and water filters to help provide potable water.
“Working with long-standing partners like The Salvation Army, Red Cross and others, we saw an opportunity to replicate some of our existing assistance models and bring them to an area where there’s an urgent need,” said Vella. “By leveraging the strengths, experience, and programs we have in place elsewhere, we hope to have a greater and more immediate impact in disaster recovery efforts in Puerto Rico.”
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