◾Chrysler Canada employees raise awareness for year-round support of local food banks in Windsor-Essex County with the donation of their time, money and food

◾Newly named 'Motor Citizens' volunteer program provides 18,000 Chrysler Group salaried employees in North America the opportunity to 'Be an Engine for Change' in their communities

◾Chrysler Canada employees have supported local food banks for 25 years

June 3, 2014 , Windsor, Ontario - More than 40 Chrysler Canada employee volunteers spent Friday and today stocking food on shelves, cleaning the facility and sorting clothing at the Downtown Mission of Windsor to raise awareness for the need to support local food banks on a year-round basis, not just during the holiday season.

A Dodge Grand Caravan full of employee-donated food items was delivered, as well as a $7,500 donation made by The Chrysler Foundation, which will be shared amongst the Downtown Mission of Windsor, The Salvation Army and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul for their food bank programs.

'For the past 25 years, our Chrysler Canada salaried employees have demonstrated a can-do spirit with the donation of more than a million canned goods to area food banks in Windsor/Essex,' said Reid Bigland, President and CEO, Chrysler Canada. 'The Motor Citizens volunteer program makes it a little easier for employees to see first-hand the impact their contributions make in the community and builds on our company's long tradition of giving back.'

The timing of this volunteer event coincides with the launch of 'Motor Citizens,' the new name for the company's well-established volunteer program that gives its more than 18,000 salaried employees – in Canada, the United States and Mexico – 18 hours paid time off each year to volunteer for nonprofit organizations of their choosing, as well as company-sponsored initiatives.

Chrysler Group's Motor Citizens volunteer program compliments the decades-long legacy of The Chrysler Foundation, which serves as the primary conduit for Chrysler Group to give back to the community. In its more than 60 years of its existence, The Chrysler Foundation has granted more than half a billion dollars to worthwhile organizations and causes.

The need to help reduce poverty and hunger in Windsor-Essex is great. A closer look reveals:

◾In our community, 38,000 people live in poverty.

◾There were a total of 143,214 visits to local food banks in the 2013-2014 year.

◾A total of 226,416 meals were served by the Windsor-Essex County Food Bank Association in 2011.

◾In 2011, Food banks in Windsor-Essex served 31 per cent of their meals (69,415) to children.

◾Food banks play a pivotal role for those who cannot afford to do so. Over 2.5 million pounds of fresh or perishable foods (i.e. fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat) have been rescued in the past year from farmers, retail stores and banquet halls.

Individuals can learn more and help contribute by contacting the Windsor-Essex Food Bank Association in partnership with the Unemployed Help Centre of Windsor Inc. and Windsor-Essex United Way at (519) 944-4900 Ext. 116 or on-line at www.wefba.ca.

About Chrysler Canada

Founded as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, Chrysler Canada Inc. is based in Windsor, Ontario, and celebrates its 89th anniversary in 2014. Chrysler Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chrysler Group LLC, one of the world's leading automotive companies. Chrysler Canada has approximately 440 dealers and markets Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat and Mopar vehicles and products. In addition to its assembly facilities, which produce the Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, Ram Cargo Van (Windsor), and the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger (Brampton), Chrysler Canada operates an aluminum casting plant in Etobicoke, a research and development centre in Windsor, and has sales offices and parts distribution centres throughout the country.