Ford Motor Company and Newman's Own® Donate Refrigerated Truck Fleet With 'Partnership For Hunger Relief' Program

176 Million Meals Delivered and 6.7 Million Miles Traveled

CHICAGO, Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the 11th consecutive year, Ford Motor Company and Newman's Own®, Inc. are partnering with Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization, to donate Ford refrigerated trucks filled with Newman's Own food products to five regions of the country with communities in need, The two organizations have worked in partnership for a decade to contribute 103 refrigerated trucks to help Feeding America food banks deliver nutritious perishable foods.

With the recent donation of five more vehicles, the fleet of Ford trucks and vans reaches every state in the country, many states with multiple vehicles.

"Ford Motor Company has remained committed to playing a role in addressing hunger relief year after year," said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "Through this unique partnership, our donated trucks have delivered more than 176 million meals to families across the country."

This unique "Partnership for Hunger Relief" began when Paul Newman reached out to Bill Ford, then chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Company, in an effort to improve distribution of produce and other perishable food to those facing hunger in rural America.  The refrigerated trucks allow for delivery of fresh and nutritious food to hard to reach communities that often are underserved and are now also servicing urban and suburban areas where there is an urgent need for nutritious food. 

"More than 12 years ago Paul Newman realized there was a great need to get nutritious food more broadly distributed.  With 49 million people facing hunger, we are glad this program continues to help make a difference, especially in the current economic environment," said Tom Indoe, president and chief operating officer of Newman's Own, Inc.  

Regions of the country and Food banks receiving trucks this fall are:
Atlanta Community Food Bank (Atlanta, GA), Dare to Care Food Bank (Louisville, KY), Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida (Fort Myers, FL), Josephine County Food Bank (Grants Pass, OR), and Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (Raleigh, NC).

"We have seen a dramatic rise in the number of people seeking food assistance from the Feeding America network. Today, we are feeding 37 million people each year—a staggering 46 percent increase since 2006," said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. "The Ford Motor Company and Newman's Own have been long-time generous supporters of our mission. We continue to build partnerships like this to help our food banks provide more donated food to more people in need."

Feeding America Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FeedingAmerica

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.

Newman's Own ®, Inc. -- founded by Paul Newman in 1982, is a successful and growing premium food business. Newman's Own offers more than 100 varieties of delicious all-natural food and beverage products, which include salad dressings, pasta sauces, salsa, popcorn, lemonade, and thin & crispy frozen pizza.  Based in Westport, CT, the charitable mission of Newman's Own®, Inc. was expressed by Paul in the Company motto: "Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good." Newman's Own Foundation continues Paul Newman's commitment to donate all profits to charity. More than $325 million has been given to thousands of charities since 1982. Visit www.newmansown.com for the nearest retailer/s that carry Newman's Own products and for recipe suggestions using Newman's Own®, Inc. products. Visit Newman's Own on Facebook at www.facebook.com/newmansown       Learn more about our mission at www.newmansownfoundation.org.

Media Contacts:
For Ford: Della DiPietro, Ford Fund Communications; 313-720-8095
For Newman's Own, Inc.: Kate Nolan Clemens; KDN Communications; 860-657-0600
For Feeding America: Ross Fraser; 312-641-5663

SOURCE Feeding America