Mazda Donates $215,000 to Food Banks
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Mazda has been finding ways to pitch in. And with an estimated one-sixth of Americans at risk of facing hunger this year, Mazda decided to step up and provide grants to food banks across the country. Here’s a look at how that money will help feed communities.
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Donating during hard times
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To help feed people need, Mazda’s board of trustees awarded $215,000 to nine food banks scattered across six major metropolitan areas in the United States. These deserving charities will use that funding to provide approximately 730,000 meals to hungry people over the next 12 months.
The $215,000 was split between nine charities: Second Harvest Food Bank in Irvine, California; Bracken’s Kitchen in Garden Grove, California; Houston Food Bank; Central Texas Food Bank in Austin; North Texas Food Bank in Plano; Greater Chicago Food Depository; Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva; Flemington Area Food Pantry in New Jersey; and the Food Bank of North Alabama in Huntsville.
This is the second round of grants that the Mazda Foundation has gifted to communities in need. Back in March at the outset of the pandemic, the automaker donated $214,000 to help food banks purchase non-perishable goods for their communities. Taking the recent donations into account, Mazda has donated a total of $429,000 to help keep vulnerable people fed. This funding is particularly crucial, considering that food banks have faced a 60 percent increase in demand since the pandemic hit in March of 2020.
In a press release, Mazda North America president Jeff Guyton acknowledged the need in countless communities across America. “Addressing a fundamental need like food security is a clear expression of the Mazda Foundation’s guiding principle that what matters most is one another,” Guyton stated.
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Other Mazda Initiatives
Mazda has sought out other ways to serve frontline workers and communities in need. Back in April, the automaker launched the Essential Car Care Program for essential healthcare workers. Mazda also recently debuted its Mazda Heroes program, which allows you to nominate a local hero to win a 100th Anniversary Special Edition Mazda MX-5 Miata.
Kimiko Kidd is a native Daytonian. She graduated from Wright State University with degrees in environmental science and sociology. She loves her trusty old Honda Civic, but dreams of owning a 1974 Ford Falcon XB with a custom paint job and a vintage Kawasaki Z1000. In her free time, Kimiko can be found watercolor-painting, baking muffins, collecting rocks, playing old-school Nintendo games, writing her novel, sewing stuffed animals, and cosplaying as her favorite Mad Max characters. See more articles by Kimiko.