Ford PH Donates Transit Van to SOS for Org’s Food Rescue Operations

MANILA: Ford Philippines donated a Ford Transit van and a grant of $30,000 to Scholars for Sustenance (SOS), a non-profit organization dedicated to food rescue.

Ford Philippines officially handed over the Ford Transit at SOS' Zero Summit Philippines held last August 8. With the theme “Zero to Hero,” the summit's objective was to promote partnership among various stakeholders from the academic community, business organizations, civil society, and government agencies in order to achieve the targets of zero food waste and zero hunger by 2030.

For its food rescue program, SOS Philippines collaborates with donors to collect surplus food, guarantee food safety in handling, and deliver the goods to partner communities in an effort to prevent food waste. With the Ford Transit, SOS Philippines can effectively collect and transport non-perishable food products and transform them into more healthy meals to help combat hunger in marginalized communities while minimizing food waste.

“We are fully committed to supporting SOS Philippines and its advocacy of serving undernourished communities and curbing food wastage in the country. We trust that the Ford Transit will boost their mobility needs from various establishments to the communities who will benefit from this worthwhile endeavor,” Ford Philippines Government and Corporate Affairs Director Josie Gonzalez stated.

This program is essential to achieving SOS Philippines' aim of reducing food waste given that one in 10 households in the Philippines alone encounter challenges with food poverty and hunger, and that an enormous amount of food is wasted from establishments.

“There is an abundance of food available, and our mission at SOS is to ensure it reaches those in need. Reducing food waste and alleviating hunger requires a multifaceted restructuring of the entire food system, from production and distribution to consumption,” SOS Managing Director for the Philippines and Thailand James Leyson said.

SOS is a global food rescue organization whose mission is to address the long-standing food security issue in the most undernourished communities across the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. Its Rescue Kitchen Program collects unused food ingredients from various establishments, and its Food Rescue Program gathers quality surplus food from establishments and transforms it into healthy meals.

Photos from Ford Philippines and Autohub Group

Also read:

Ford Transit: All you need to know

Minibus matchup: Hyundai H350 vs. Ford Transit

Ford Transit arrives in PH, to rival Toyota Hiace and Hyundai Starex