Ford opens 2nd Community Resource Center in P.R. for ongoing recovery efforts
Ford Motor Company announced the next phase of its $1.2 million “Centro de Movilidad Social” initiative — a program designed to provide supplies and services to hurricane-devastated communities across Puerto Rico.
Launched in December 2017, Ford’s “Centro de Movilidad Social” brings together local nonprofit organizations to connect children and families with a range of services, from basic needs such as food, water, clothing and transportation, to longer-term recovery assistance through medical services, educational grants and skills development.
The new “on the go” center in Bayamón will provide health and educational services to nearby communities and students, and will be implemented in collaboration with Proyecto Nacer, an organization that specializes in providing family-centered services and a member of Puerto Rico’s Alliance for Alternative Education.
At the inaugural event, supplies such as food, water, disaster preparedness literature, water filters and medical services were distributed to the community through funding from Ford with the support of various partners.
The “on the go” center — a Ford E-450 bus — will be used as a mobile clinic to provide medical services, educational resources and family development support to teenage mothers and young families.
Ford also is donating a second Ford E-450 bus to Centros Sor Isolina Ferré — the location of the first social mobility center Ford launched last December in Ponce — for conversion into a mobile science education lab that will visit schools across the island.
Ford will also provide funding for the Hispanic Federation to acquire a vehicle this year which they will utilize for the distribution of resources and to ease their transportation needs.
“As the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, our mission at the Ford Fund is to strengthen communities and help make people’s lives better, and that is exactly what ‘Centro de Movilidad Social’ is all about,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Fund.
“Good neighbors step up when their communities need them most, and Ford is standing, united and strong, with the many local partners who have joined us in helping the communities of Puerto Rico get back on their feet,” he said.
As part of “Centro de Movilidad Social,” Ford is planning a pop-up community event in Maunabo, a heavily impacted municipality on the south of the island that is still struggling with lack of water and electrical services.
In collaboration with The Salvation Army, Centros Sor Isolina Ferré and Hispanic Federation, Ford distributed food, water, gas stoves and toiletry kits to families in need. Volunteers also made house visits for seniors and other individuals who lack transportation or are unable to physically attend.