Ford Motor Company presents Mobile Response Center to CCUSA

August 22, 2017

Alexandria, Va. – The Ford Motor Company presented Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) with a Mobile Response Center (MRC), a vehicle designed to bring relief and recovery to people affected by disasters across the country. When not deployed in response to a disaster, the MRC vehicle will be used by Catholic Charities member agencies in Washington, D.C., Arlington/Northern Virginia and Baltimore to serve people who are homeless, homebound, and without ready access to Catholic Charities facilities.

During the presentation, Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, President and CEO of CCUSA said, “We are grateful to Ford for their support of our mission to provide service to individuals and families in need. The Mobile Response Center vehicle will allow Catholic Charities to reach people who need basic necessities during times of disasters, as well as people in the D.C., Baltimore and Northern Virginia regions who struggle with homelessness every day.”

“We’re proud to put Ford’s strength as a mobility company to work on the front lines of disaster response and recovery,” said Ziad Ojakli, Ford group vice president, Government and Community Relations. “In the hands of the skilled, caring team at Catholic Charities, this vehicle will deliver faster relief in emergencies and more effective, long-term assistance to people who need it most.”

Msgr. John Enzler, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington said, “We are so grateful to Catholic Charities USA and the Ford Motor Company Fund for providing this invaluable resource that will help us serve even more people in need.”

“With Pope Francis’s continued call to meet people where they are, this vehicle will allow us to provide curbside assistance to our homeless and poverty stricken communities that make up the boundaries of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington,” said Art Bennett, President and CEO, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Arlington.

Bill McCarthy, Executive Director, Catholic Charities Baltimore said, “Catholic Charities of Baltimore is the largest private provider of social services in Maryland. With this Ford Mobile Response Vehicle, we can more effectively deliver our services to the community.”

Photos and video of the Mobile Response Center are available online. A video of the presentation is available here.