Unprecedented $60 Million Donation to Fight Hunger Marks Enterprise Rent-A-Car's 60th Anniversary

Fill Your Tank Program Supports Local Food Banks and Pantries, Food Banks Canada, Feeding America, and The Global FoodBanking Network

TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2016 /CNW/ -- The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation today announces one of the largest donations aimed at fighting hunger. The program – called Fill Your Tank – celebrates the company's 60^th anniversary by providing $60 million to address food insecurity around the globe.

"Enterprise Rent-A-Car is woven into the fabric of the thousands of towns and neighbourhoods where we do business, and food insecurity is an issue in all of those communities. Many times, hunger is invisible to us. We often don't see the signs that someone might be food-insecure or think about the ripple effects of hunger," said Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation Vice President and Executive Director Carolyn Kindle Betz.

"Our employees have long supported food banks and pantries in the cities and neighbourhoods we serve. The Fill Your Tank program is a natural extension of the good work our employees are already doing. It's also particularly poignant as addressing hunger was one of the last wishes of my grandfather and our founder, Jack Taylor, who passed away earlier this year," added Kindle Betz.

Over the next six years, $10 million will be distributed annually as follows:

• $2.5 million to Feeding America^®, the largest U.S. domestic hunger-relief and food rescue charity. These funds will help fight hunger among seniors and children.
• $1.5 million to Food Banks Canada to support operations and infrastructure in food banks across Canada.
• $1 million to The Global FoodBanking Network to expand the work of food banks around the world, especially food banks in the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany and Spain on behalf of company-owned operations in these countries.
• $5 million to local food banks and pantries in communities served by Enterprise. 

Checks will begin arriving at more than 365 local food banks and food pantries across North America in the next week. These specific donations are determined by local Enterprise operations. Beyond donations, the brand is supporting the initiative with a hunger awareness campaign and through local engagement. Specifically, the awareness campaign will feature stories of what is possible when people are running on a "full tank" – that is, when they have enough to eat. The stories will be featured on Enterprise social media channels, enterprise.ca/FillYourTank as well as on partner social media channels.

Globally, one in nine people don't get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life, according to the World Food Programme. According to Food Banks Canada, 13 percent of Canadians live in a state of food insecurity, which means they do not have reliable access to adequate amounts of safe, good-quality, nutritious food. Twenty-five percent of students in grade six surveyed by the Public Health Agency in Canada reported that they sometimes went to bed hungry because there was not enough food in the house.

"We appreciate this generous and significant contribution from the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation," says Pam Jolliffe, Executive Director, Food Banks Canada. "These funds enable Food Banks Canada and its food bank network to make profound changes in our ability to share more food and relieve hunger for men, women and children in communities across Canada."

The founder of Enterprise, Jack Taylor, established the company in 1957 with a fleet of seven cars. Today, Enterprise operates in more than 85 countries and territories and is the largest car rental company in the world, based on revenue, fleet size and number of locations. Taylor started the Foundation in 1982 as a way to give back to the communities that drove Enterprise's growth and success. Since then, the Foundation and the Taylor family have contributed more than $1 billion to thousands of local non-profits, with a special focus on community improvement, education and environmental stewardship. Meanwhile, each year Enterprise employees contribute their time and skills to thousands of national and local organizations in the cities and neighbourhoods they serve.

A decade ago, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation marked the company's 50^th anniversary with the 50 Million Tree Pledge – a commitment to plant a million trees each year on public lands.

"It's in that same spirit that we're launching the Fill Your Tank initiative," said Kindle Betz. "It's a way to honor our company's past while looking forward to the future, and a way to thank Enterprise's customers and neighbours for their support by making a long-term impact on a critical issue."

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SOURCE Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation

For more information, contact: Lisa Martini, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, [email protected]