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Toyota donates vehicles, funds to Washtenaw County nonprofits during COVID-19 crisis

Gifts to help solve mobility issues for local organizations

Toyota Sienna. (Toyota Motor North America)

ANN ARBORToyota Motor North America announced Monday it is donating Toyota Sienna vehicles and grants to four nonprofits serving Washtenaw County’s most vulnerable community members.

The company’s Research and Development center is based in Ann Arbor, and according to executive vice president Shinichi Yasui, Toyota is committed to contributing to communities where its operations have a presence.

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“It has always been important to Toyota to give back in the communities where we live and work, and as we navigate the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19, that commitment has never been clearer,” Yasui said in a statement.

“We hope that these Toyota Siennas, which were designed, developed and engineered right here in Washtenaw County, will allow these organizations to help our community achieve personal, social and economic mobility.”

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The organizations receiving the vehicles and funds have seen an increase in demand since the pandemic began. Their clients include veterans, homebound seniors and people with disabilities.

Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels client, Jerry, thanks his volunteer delivery driver on May 11, 2020. (Courtesy: Toyota Motor North America)

The recipients include:

Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels

The meal delivery service which provides nutritious meals to homebound disabled, elderly and ill residents in eastern Washtenaw County has expanded its offerings amid the pandemic to include the delivery of non-essential food items including cleaning supplies and weekly wellness calls to those it serves.

Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels will use its Toyota Sienna to add a fifth delivery route. It was also awarded a $25,000 grant to bolster its expanded services.

Michigan Ability Partners

The Ann Arbor-based nonprofit helps veterans, people with disabilities, those experiencing homelessness or who have mental illness or addictions with job placement, housing and financial management.

It will use its Toyota Sienna and a $5,000 grant to help community members in need move homes, get to critical appointments, receive grocery delivery and more.

SOS Community Services

The agency aiming to end family homelessness in Washtenaw County will use its new vehicle and a $10,000 grant to deliver essential resources, transport low-income and homeless families to appointments and address rising critical needs due to the COVID-19 crisis.

A member of SOS Community Services' staff picks up a brand-new 8-passenger Toyota Sienna at Dunning Toyota on May 11, 2020. Last week, SOS helped relocate a displaced family of seven into emergency housing. (Courtesy: Toyota Motor North America)

Saline Social Services

The nonprofit supporting struggling families in Saline and its surrounding rural areas will use its Sienna and a $5,000 grant to continue to provide resources to its clients, including grocery pick up and delivery for families with transportation challenges and homebound seniors.

“We’re really working towards mobility," said Praveena J. Ramaswami, Community Relations and Corporate Communications at Toyota.

“We are trying to help our community and people in Washtenaw County understand that there are people who are struggling with mobility -- meaning access to upward mobility. With COVID, it’s only exasperated (the issue) onto this population that was already vulnerable as well as the nonprofits who support them.”

In addition to these recent donations, Toyota has donated $50,000 to United Way of Washtenaw County’s COVID-19 Community Relief Fund and continues to produce face shields for area hospitals.

For more information on Toyota’s COVID-19 response, visit www.toyota.com/toyota-covid-19-response.


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