Ford dealers around the world are spending September trying to fill something considerably more important than a sales quota: local food-bank shelves.
The 2026 Ford Dealer Global Food Drive invites customers, dealership employees and community members to bring nonperishable food and other requested essentials to participating Ford dealerships throughout September. The donations will be distributed through food banks, pantries and nonprofit organizations selected in each dealer’s community. Dallas-Fort Worth-area Five Star Ford Dealerships, part of the CarPro Certified Dealer network, are participating in the food drive that continues through Sept. 30th. (Check out a map here to find participating dealers in your area.)
The effort is part of Ford Building Together, a companywide community-service initiative that combines the reach of Ford’s dealer network with Ford Philanthropy, employee volunteers, vehicles, technology and national nonprofit partners. Ford’s major partners include Feeding America, the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Team Rubicon and World Central Kitchen.
Unlike a national fundraising campaign in which donations are sent to one central organization, the food drive is designed to produce a local benefit. Participating dealers work with nearby food banks and nonprofits to identify what their communities need most. In some locations, that means canned vegetables, peanut butter, cereal, rice, pasta and shelf-stable milk. Other organizations may request baby formula, diapers, soap, hygiene products or other household essentials.
Ford is encouraging customers to contact their local dealership or visit its Ford Building Together website to find a participating location and confirm which items are being collected. Some dealers are placing donation boxes in their showrooms, while others are using the beds of F-150s or cargo areas of Ford SUVs and Transit vans. Apparently, “fill the truck” can have a meaning that does not involve a gasoline pump or a home-improvement store.
The global campaign returns after Ford dealers produced an enormous response during the program’s launch in 2025. According to Ford, dealerships in 31 countries collected over 1.7 million pounds of food and essential supplies for local organizations.
The results also demonstrated how widely individual dealership efforts can vary. In southeastern Michigan, 45 Ford dealers joined forces to support Forgotten Harvest, a nonprofit food-rescue organization serving the Detroit area. The donations arrived by the pallet and helped replenish the organization’s warehouse.
In Spokane, Washington, Wendle Ford established an initial goal of collecting 600 pounds. Dealership employees turned the campaign into a friendly competition among departments and ultimately collected 51,909 pounds for 2nd Harvest Inland Northwest. Ford said the contribution represented more than 14,000 meals for the community.
The program was equally adaptable outside the United States. A Ford dealership in South Africa collected a ton of fresh vegetables for immediate distribution, while dealers across Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru achieved 100% participation. South American dealerships collectively contributed nearly 700,000 pounds.
The campaign arrives during Hunger Action Month, when food banks and relief organizations call attention to the continuing problem of food insecurity. Feeding America’s latest Map the Meal Gap study estimates that approximately 48 million Americans, including more than 14 million children, experienced food insecurity during 2024. The organization says the problem exists in every U.S. County, with rural areas and communities in the South facing some of the highest rates. Nearly half of those experiencing food insecurity had household incomes too high to qualify for federal nutrition assistance. Feeding America’s 2026 findings also estimated the nation’s annual food-budget shortfall at $33.7 billion.
Ford Building Together is broader than the September food drive. The company says Ford and Ford Philanthropy have contributed approximately $2.5 billion to charitable causes since 1949, while Ford employees have recorded 1.9 million volunteer hours. Dealers also host blood drives and disaster-preparedness events, loan vehicles to relief organizations and support rebuilding efforts after hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and other emergencies.
For customers, however, participation this month is much simpler. Find a participating Ford dealer, check its list of needed items and drop off a bag or box of food. No vehicle purchase is required, and nobody will ask you to negotiate the price of the canned beans. All Car Pro Show Ford dealers are participating.
