There’s a certain helplessness that comes from being told you must stay indoors while others are out risking their lives. The Ford Motor Company Fund (Ford Fund) has announced two new opportunities for Ford employees around the world looking to reach out to their community from inside their homes.
This news follows the Ford Fund’s previously announced commitment to allocating $1.6 million in resources to help communities and local nonprofits throughout Southeast Michigan and across the United States address hunger, shelter and mobility needs related to COVID-19.
Donation Match
The COVID-19 Donation Match program is a combined effort between Ford Fund and Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford that will match $500,000 in donations to designated community organizations, raising a potential $1 million for groups battling the pandemic across the globe. Mr. Ford, who started the Ford Volunteer Corps 15 years ago, has committed funds to the program.
In initiative is managed by GlobalGiving, Ford’s longtime disaster relief and global grant-making partner, and aims to support community projects in locations that have both a significant level of emergency need and a substantial Ford employee presence. Projects focus on addressing hunger, shelter and mobility needs, providing educational resources, or delivering critical medical supplies and services to communities in need.
Employees and others interested in donating can visit www.globalgiving.org/ford-covid-response to view a full list of participating countries as well as cities across the United States, and to learn more about community projects they can support. GlobalGiving will add new projects and additional details over the coming weeks, so employees are encouraged to check back often for updates.
Virtual volunteering
Ford Fund’s new “Read and Record” virtual volunteering project invites Ford employees from around the world to record and submit videos reading a children’s book in their own language. The effort is designed to provide Ford employees a way to give back from the safety and comfort of their own homes, and builds on Ford Fund’s ongoing efforts to increase literacy and promote a love of reading.
The online library will be catalogued by language, and multilingual employees are encouraged to read in languages other than English. Ford Fund plans to share the library with philanthropic groups that serve children and families.
A library of free online resources to help occupy your family is available at www.fordfund.org/covid19. Activities include virtual tours, downloadable worksheets, online tutorials, videos and more – all designed to help entertain, educate or inspire people of all ages. The site’s “How You Can Help” page also outlines ways employees can contribute to specific nonprofit needs for volunteers or donations of goods and supplies.
