Ford Motor Company’s focus may lie primarily on creating innovative technologies and mobility solutions for people around the world, but when it comes to the heart and soul of the company, their focus is close to home.

Located on a small parcel of land in Detroit, Cass Community Social Services (Cass), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing area residents with food, housing, health services and job training, welcomes 300 adults and children experiencing homelessness each night.

As one can imagine, feeding and maintaining supplies to assist that many people in need can be a daunting task but one that Cass does not shy away from.

Ford’s philanthropic leadership program, Thirty Under 30, heard about the great efforts that the staff and volunteers of Cass do for the people and city of Detroit. They developed a concept to transition shipping bays into hydroponic container farms to help Cass feed people fresh and nutritious food, today known as the Ford Freight Farm.

The 40-foot freight container operates through the use of LED lighting and water filtering through hundreds of vertical towers that are home to seeds that sprout into vegetables that can grow year-round. The container has the growing capacity of up to two acres of land that will produce up to 52 harvests per year. The food grown is utilized in Cass’s community kitchen which serves more than 700,000 meals each year.

Ford Motor Company Fund and Bill Ford provided support for the Ford Mobile Farm by providing a $250,000 grant to help in purchasing and outfitting the freight farm along with hiring a person to oversee the farm and educational arm of the program.

To learn more about the Ford Mobile Farm and Cass Community Services, visit casscommunity.org.

Michigan Farm Bureau is a proud partner of Ford Motor Company and offers members exclusive savings on Ford and Lincoln vehicles. For more information, visit https://www.michfb.com/MI/Ford_Bonus_Cash/.