AVID and The Food Bank of North Alabama have been awarded grant funding from the Mazda Foundation (USA) Inc.
AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, helps schools shift to student-centered approaches, training educators annually so they can prepare all students for college, careers and life. AVID received $150,000 to establish its program in four schools in the City of Madison school district.
“Too many people lack basic access to the tools and support needed to successfully compete in our increasingly complex economy,” said Jeff Guyton, president of Mazda North American Operations and chairman of the Mazda Foundation (USA) Inc. “Providing necessary support to underserved students is a clear expression of the Mazda Foundation’s guiding principle: what matters most is one another.”
The Food Bank of North Alabama is the largest nonprofit hunger relief organization in North Alabama, serving an 11-county area with more than 161,000 food-insecure residents. It received a grant for $50,000 to help it meet continued record demand for food. The funds will enable the Food Bank of North Alabama to serve 350,000 meals to residents in need.
“In the wake of the pandemic, we are witnessing a demand for food assistance that is truly extraordinary,” said Guyton. “We are pleased to continue our partnership with the Food Bank of North Alabama to help them address the challenges that too many Alabamians face.”
The Mazda Foundation has partnered with the food bank since 2019, and this latest award brings the total financial support to $194,000.
These two grants were among four that were presented as part of the foundation’s 2021 funding cycle. The other two grants were to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County and the FUSE Studio, both of which are in California.
These two awards in Alabama help support one of the communities surrounding Mazda’s newest facility, the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant in Huntsville, which when fully operational is expected to employ 4,000 people. The plant, which is wrapping up construction, is expected to start producing vehicles later this year.
