Michael Ponter of Hiley Mazda (left), Mark Beddingfield of American Red Cross (middle-left), Naoki Okano of Mazda North American Operations (middle-right), and Matt Meyer of Hiley Mazda (right) gather to exchange 2024 Mazda CX-50s for community emergency vehicles in Alabama.
Media Contacts:
Christine Welch
American Red Cross Southern California Region
909-374-0376
Christine.welch@redcross.org
Tamara Mlynarczyk
Mazda North American Operations
media@mazdausa.com
Drew Cary
Mazda North American Operations
media@mazdausa.com
SANTA ANA, Calif. (November 1, 2023) — The American Red Cross is excited to announce that Mazda North American Operations, headquartered in Irvine, Calif., has donated eight Mazda CX-50 vehicles to the Red Cross Alabama and Mississippi Region to help deliver emergency supplies and services to families affected by disasters, and support biomedical services.
“Mazda’s long-standing partnership with the American Red Cross has spanned nearly three decades and we are humbled by the work they do in the communities we serve,” said Naoki Okano, Senior Vice President of Monotsukuri Operations, Mazda North American Operations. “It’s an honor to be able to provide the Alabama-Mississippi Region with eight Mazda CX-50s, locally manufactured at our plant in Huntsville, AL, to serve as additional emergency vehicles for local communities.”
“For the past few years, we have been on the ground responding to an increasing number of tornadoes, home fires and other disasters,” said Mark Beddingfield, Regional Chief Executive Officer of the Red Cross Alabama and Mississippi Region. “This generous donation of vehicles will not only enable us to fulfill our unwavering commitment to protect life and alleviate suffering, but its versatility will allow us to meet our wide range of needs—from biomedical services to disaster response.”
By donating vehicles to the Red Cross, Mazda extends its support as part of a long-standing partnership with the Red Cross. Mazda realizes the unique ability to provide a much-needed resource—vehicles—ultimately delivering a mode of transportation for the daily business activities of so many other organizations. The Red Cross uses its fleet of community emergency vehicles to execute the mission of responding to disaster and providing shelter and resources to those affected along with supporting biomedical services.
Donating vehicles to the Red Cross also provides Mazda with an opportunity to give back to communities in which it does business. Since 2015, 90 vehicles have been donated and delivered to Mazda dealerships all over the country, reaching Red Cross offices that are most in need of new transportation.
Each year, the Red Cross responds to nearly 64,000 disasters across the country, including home fires, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and wildfires. Red Cross services are provided to people in need of assistance at no cost and regardless of income through the generosity of Red Cross donors.
Individuals can help people affected by disasters by making a gift to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Donations to Disaster Relief enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
About Mazda North American Operations
Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Colombia through approximately 795 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ontario; operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City; and operations in Colombia are managed by Mazda de Colombia in Bogota, Colombia. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at News.MazdaUSA.com.
Follow MNAO’s social media channels through Twitter and Instagram at @MazdaUSA and Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaUSA.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
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