Toyota USA Foundation Builds Upon Company’s Ongoing COVID-19 Relief Efforts

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May 5, 2020

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PLANO, Texas, May 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Amid growing demand for emergency relief as a result of COVID-19, the Toyota USA Foundation awarded $2.5 million in grants to a variety of nonprofits across the nation. Funds address crucial needs – particularly food assistance – in urban hot spots and in many communities where Toyota operates, as well as e-learning programs to help keep youth engaged.

Toyota Mississippi, Mid-South Food Bank and Mississippi National Guard Reserve collaborate on mobile food pantry to serve residents of North Mississippi.

“We pivoted our foundation’s focus from STEM education to support the surge in demand for food assistance across the country,” said Mike Goss, Toyota USA Foundation president. “As we head into summer, and looking beyond, we also recognized the need to support a variety of e-learning programs with resources to expand access, engage youth and parents, and assist teachers.”

To date, including the above grants, Toyota has provided more than $8 million in funding and in-kind donations, including manufacturing and donating over 500,000 protective face shields for healthcare professionals.

“Along with contributing funding, team members are sharing their amazing spirit and expertise to help with relief efforts,” said Chris Reynolds, chief administrative officer, Manufacturing and Corporate Resources for Toyota Motor North America. “Scaling up the work of nonprofits across the country and helping bring awareness and credible information to understand the risks and share steps on how to avoid contracting the virus is critical to meeting increased needs throughout the country.”

Community service announcements for the African American and Hispanic communities are available by clicking here. To learn more about Toyota’s COVID-19 response efforts click here.

Toyota USA Foundation grants include:

National Grants ($1.2 million)

Toyota USA Foundation grants support emergency relief efforts, particularly for multicultural communities in urban hotspots including, but not limited to, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Orleans and New York City. Grants were awarded to:

The Salvation Army $700,000
United Way $500,000 (This is in addition to the previous $500,000 awarded to United Way in March)

“Toyota’s generous donation will provide much-needed relief for those suffering from food insecurity, financial hardship and other effects from the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Stan Little, Chief Experience Officer for United Way Worldwide.

Grants in Toyota Operating Communities ($800,000)

Toyota USA Foundation grants address hunger in Toyota’s operational communities in 12 states. Grants include:

Food Bank of North Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama, $55,000
United Food Bank, Mesa, Arizona, $55,000
Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP), Hiawatha, Iowa, $55,000
Tri-State Food Bank Evansville, Indiana, $55,000
God’s Pantry Food Bank, Lexington, Kentucky, $55,000
Maryland Food Bank, Baltimore, Maryland, $55,000
Food Gatherers in Ann Arbor, Michigan, $40,000
Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels, Ypsilanti, Michigan, $25,000
Bread For Life, Troy, Missouri, $30,000
Lincoln County Council on Aging, Troy, Missouri $25,000
Grow North Texas in Dallas, Texas $55,000
North Texas Food Bank, Plano, Texas $65,000
VNA Texas Meals on Wheels, Dallas, Texas $30,000
San Antonio Food Bank, San Antonio, Texas $55,000
Mid-South Food Bank, Memphis, Tennessee, $55,000
Regional Inter-Faith Association (RIFA), Jackson, Tennessee, $55,000
Five Loaves Two Fish Food Pantry, Welch, West Virginia, $55,000

“Mid-South Food Bank has seen a 207 percent increase in need throughout our service area,” said,” Cathy Pope, President & CEO, Mid-South Food Bank. “The clients before COVID-19 still need us, and people who never dreamed they would need the food bank find themselves really struggling to put food on the table. We are working to meet this increased need over the next six to 12 months as families recover.”

Along with a mobile food pantry launched by Toyota Mississippi and Mid-South Food Bank, Toyota also worked Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Grow North Texas, University of North Texas at Dallas Mobile Market, Veggie Project, and Lonestar Human Services to distribute produce and hygiene packs to families in need in the DFW region.

E-learning Grants

The Toyota USA Foundation also funded:

Girls Who Code for its new online program – Girls Who Code at Home – and to support video-based activities, $125,000
Code.org to expand K-12 computer science education in the DFW region by training teachers with its all-new virtual learning program that combines asynchronous learning combined with synchronous, facilitator-led virtual sessions, $125,000
Science Buddies to create a free online tool for learners to discover STEM pathways and careers, $200,000
SkillsUSA to expand complementary access to its signature online program — Career Essentials — to more than 830 students: $50,000

“Our free hands-on STEM activities, which are shorter and typically use materials easily found around a home, make STEM learning more accessible to a variety of diverse audiences,” said Tina Lanese, senior vice president, Science Buddies. “Through this grant we will be able to build on these activities to help learners discover pathways to STEM careers as they engage in activities during this period, into the summer and beyond.”

For more information on Toyota’s COVID-19 response, please visit: www.toyota.com/toyota-covid-19-response/ (English) www.toyota.com/espanol/toyota-covid-19-response/ (Spanish)

About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

The Toyota USA Foundation supports innovative programs and builds partnerships with organizations that are dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

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