Convoy of 75 Tundras Will Rumble Through Downtown Philly, Hauling Food for Hungry

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- 1 in 8 Americans are food insecure today; yet in Philadelphia that statistic rises to 1 in 5.

With those numbers in mind, Toyota has teamed up with Philabundance, the Delaware Valley's largest hunger-relief organization, to provide a flexible donation that provides food now, and into 2017 for our neighbors facing hunger. On December 16, a convoy of 75 Toyota Tundras measuring more than five football fields in length will caravan through Philly, hauling pallets of food for the hungry.

Titled "Toyota Tundra Food Drive," the road event is just a preview of the anti-hunger impact Toyota intends to make in 2017. This year's total food donation is estimated to be 330,000 pounds— 80,000 more meals than last year. Though this food drive is designed to coincide with the holidays, the collective amount of food purchased through the drive will be delivered to Philabundance over the next several months.

"We are so grateful to Toyota for its efforts to haul away hunger today, and all year long," said Glenn Bergman, Executive Director of Philabundance. "Hunger is an issue 365 days a year, and due to Toyota's largest donation to date, we will be able to provide food to more people in need when they need it. Thank you, Toyota, for your ongoing support over the past 10 years and extremely generous donation to help us drive hunger from our communities to ultimately end it forever.

This marks the 10^th year of Toyota Tundra Food Drive, and this food drive will be its largest to date. The food was purchased through donations made by the Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association (which comprises 25 dealerships in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware) and 26 of the dealers' business partners, including television and cable outlets, radio stations and sports organizations. It also provides greater awareness of the hunger crisis our area faces.

"With the help of all our business partners, the Tri-State Toyota dealers are thankful for the opportunity to provide Philabundance with 165 tons of food this year," said Paul Muller, president of the Tri-State TDA. "Hunger relief continues to be a serious issue facing many in our community."

The annual event is a Toyota Family affair with Toyota Financial Services, Toyota Material Handling Northeast and the Central Atlantic and New York regions of Toyota Motor Sales, USA.

"We are once again proud to partner with the Tri-State Toyota Dealers in our combined efforts to support Philabundance," said Tim Bliss, General Manager of Toyota's Central Atlantic Region. "Our dealers do a fantastic job of supporting important local causes and there is no better example of the impact they can have working together than the annual Toyota Tundra Food Drive in Philadelphia."

Although the cause is serious, the mood of the day will be festive, as the food drive has become one of Philly's most highly anticipated charitable events. The awe-inspiring truck convoy will depart from Philabundance's North Philadelphia warehouse, make the 7-mile trip down Columbus Boulevard under a police escort, and arrive at Citizen's Bank Park, where it will be greeted by a throng of supporters, media personalities and Philadelphia sports icons.

For members of Toyota Material Handling Northeast, the opportunity to supply forklifts for the event was appreciated. "At Toyota Material Handling Northeast, we take great pride in following the core values that have shaped the Toyota brand for decades," said Jacob Ratekin, President and Chief Financial Officer of Toyota Material Handling Northeast.  "Two of these core values – 'Be Kind & Generous' and 'Be Faithful To Your Duties' – really shape the way TMHNE operates in the greater Philadelphia area. Partnering with and supporting the efforts of Philabundance and the 10^th annual Toyota Tundra Food Drive is an amazing opportunity for TMHNE and our associates to give back to the community that we so deeply cherish."      

Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. But Toyota Tundra Food Drive is, of course, all about food.

Muller is excited to celebrate the partnerships and collaboration that have made Toyota's charitable vision a reality in his hometown. "Seeing all that we can accomplish when working together, I am not only tremendously proud to be a Toyota dealer, I am proud to be a Philadelphian!" he said. "There are very few cities where the spirit of 'brotherly love' truly plays out with so many individuals from competing organizations coming together to do something so good and meaningful for the community.  In that spirit, I am proud to announce that Toyota and our partners are donating its largest donation of funds to date to help Philabundance provide for neighbors in our community."

Toyota hopes that its food drive will inspire other organizations and individuals to help Philabundance in any way possible. Visit www.philabundance.org to find out how you can get involved in hunger relief, and join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #HaulAwayHunger.

About Philabundance:
Philabundance is the Delaware Valley's largest hunger relief organization, serving more than 90,000 people each week in nine counties in PA and Southern NJ. Of those served, thirty percent are children, sixteen percent are seniors, and adults served include students, the working poor and single parents. In 2016, Philabundance rescued more than 10 million pounds of food and distributed 23 million pounds through its own distribution programs, and a network of 350 agencies. A one dollar donation provides two meals – Give now or learn more at Philabundance.org.

About Toyota:
Toyota TM, the world's top automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands.  Over the past 50 years, we've built more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 42,000 people (more than 33,000 in the U.S.).  Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.67 million cars and trucks (more than 2.35 million in the U.S.) in 2014 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.  

Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment.  As part of this commitment, we share the company's extensive know-how garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com. 

About Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association
The Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association is comprised of 25 Toyota Dealers in the Greater Philadelphia market dedicated to providing customers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Northwestern Delaware and Southern New Jersey communities with Toyota sales and service. The Tri-State TDA has an ongoing partnership with multiple community organizations and causes, including the association's focus on hunger relief in the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys through initiatives such as the annual "Toyota Tundra Food Drives" in Philadelphia and Allentown and supporting the "Phans Feeding Families" initiative with the Philadelphia Phillies.

About Toyota Material Handling Northeast, Inc.
Toyota Material Handling Northeast, Inc. (TMHNE) is a factory-authorized supplier of Toyota's full line of forklifts and other material handling equipment. Since 2002, Toyota has maintained the crown of #1 selling lift truck in the world and TMHNE is proud to be part of such a prestigious organization. The Company is a full-service material handling solutions provider, offering forklift sales, service, parts sales and rental equipment to the Maryland, Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey markets. We take great pride in providing our customers with the unsurpassed quality and service they have come to expect from the Toyota brand…at TMHNE, our passion is YOU!

For more information, including locations, contact information and career opportunities, please visit www.tmhne.com.

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SOURCE Toyota