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

News provided by

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation

26 Oct, 2016, 09:00 GMT

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

LONDON, Oct. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation today announced one of the largest donations from a company to fight hunger. The programme, called Fill Your Tank, has been designed to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary by providing $60 million to address food insecurity around the globe. 

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"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 in the cities and neighbourhoods we serve. The Fill Your Tank programme 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.

Globally, one in nine people don't get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life, according to the World Food Programme.

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

  • $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.
  • $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.
  • $5 million to local food banks in North America to support communities served by Enterprise.

Through the Global FoodBanking Network and its partner the Federation of European Food Banks, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is partnering with FareShare in the UK, Bundesverband Deutsche Tafel e.V. in Germany, Fédération Française des Banques Alimentaires in France, Federación Española de Bancos de Alimentos in Spain and Crosscare Food Bank in Ireland.

"This extraordinary gift will make a tremendous difference in alleviating hunger around the world in a meaningful way," said Lisa Moon, President and CEO of The Global FoodBanking Network. "This donation will help expand efforts to support social inclusion while reducing food waste and its harmful effects on our environment. It will help break barriers that keep people from achieving their full potential and leading healthy, productive lives."

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 organisations in the cities and neighbourhoods they serve.

A decade ago, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation marked the company's 50th anniversary with its 50 Million Tree Pledge – a commitment to plant a million trees a year for 50 years. 

"It's in that same spirit that we're launching the Fill Your Tank initiative," said Kindle Betz. "It's a way to honour 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."