Gresham Ford Partners with Snow Cap Community Charities
With schools out for the summer this month, many in-school food programs become extremely limited confronting thousands of local kids and families with the realities of food insecurity. Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford and Northwest Ford dealers including Oregon Ford Dealerships has been coordinating efforts for decades.
June kicked off the annual Peanut Butter Drive in an effort to support families in need. When school lets out for the summer many of the children in our communities go hungry in the absence of the free and reduced school lunch program.
Why Peanut Butter?
Peanut butter is protein and nutrient-rich, not to mention a favorite among children. The Ford Peanut Butter Drive runs June 1-30, 2021 and anyone can donate unopened, grocery store sized jars of peanut butter at any Oregon Ford Dealership. Gresham Ford is collecting and gathering donations now. You can also make a financial donation to our local community food bank, Snow Cap Community Charities.
Peanut butter is a food item loved by food banks and kids everywhere. It’s protein-rich – which is an essential nutrient for growing kids – has an amazing shelf life and is known for getting picky young eaters to eat different types of fresh foods like apples and celery. Throughout the pandemic, the demand for nut butters skyrocketed, diminishing food bank supplies, so the current need to stock shelves with this product for families in need is even greater.
The Ford Focus on Child Hunger
“Ford Fund and our Northwest Ford dealers have been committed to The Ford Focus on Child Hunger initiative since 2014 and have striven to highlight the issue of child hunger insecurity, especially in under-served communities,” said Ford Fund Northwest Region Program Manager, Kristin Ford. “We’ve been continuously surprised and delighted by the community’s response to the Peanut Butter Drive. And this year, with the interruption of the food supply chain and shortages of peanut butter during the pandemic, it’s more important than ever that we get this important food staple back on shelves. By donating a jar of peanut butter at Gresham Ford or online at Snow Cap we know our local Gresham Community partners will get the peanut butter to the communities that need it most.”
Since 2014, the annual drive has collected over 500,000 pounds of peanut butter, feeding thousands of kids throughout the summer. It’s a key part of Ford Focus on Child Hunger, a five state campaign in the Pacific Northwest by Ford dealers to support their community food banks and to help make sure no child goes hungry.
Fill-A-Bag to Help End Hunger in Gresham
Starting in November every year, Gresham Ford launches the Fill A Bag Food Drive to End Hunger in East County. This even runs through the end of the calendar year and helps to restock barren shelves at the local Gresham area food Pantry, Snow Cap Community Charities. Unfortunately, Snow Cap has reported the need has risen sharply during the pandemic. Gresham Ford has earned its nickname, “Dealer with a Heart” by responding to calls like this one over and over. Join Bess Wills, General Manager, and her team at Gresham Ford gather peanut butter to help feed the children in our community this summer.
Grocery Outlet Gresham
A huge thanks goes out to the team at Grocery Outlet in Gresham for help us get started with our tower of peanut butter. They even helped us load the pallet of peanut butter.
To make your peanut butter or peanut butter alternative donation, simply visit any Oregon Ford Dealer, like Gresham Ford. Look for the bright red barrel located in our Service waiting areas and on our showroom at 1999 East Powell Blvd. in Gresham, Oregon.
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