Ferrari & Ford Rally to Support Hurricane Sandy Victims

Both Ferrari and Ford are doing their part to provide aid to those affected by Hurricane Sandy.
While Ferrari is auctioning off one of its highline units to support storm relief, Mississippi Ford dealers are sending supplies to help Staten Island, N.Y., communities damaged by the superstorm.
Ford dealerships from the Hattiesburg area in Mississippi are collecting supplies to fill eighty pallets full of canned goods, diapers, personal care items, blankets, batteries and bottled water on a semi-truck trailer that is bound for Dana Ford Lincoln in Staten Island, N.Y., more than 1,000 miles away.
These relief supplies will be provided to the residents of the area while the dealership will serve as a distribution center, the OEM explained.
The four participating Mississippi dealers — Courtesy Ford (Hattiesburg), Pine Belt Ford (Purvis), Woolwine Ford (Collins) and Laurel Ford Lincoln (Laurel) — are gathering the donated goods from the communities of Hattiesburg.
"We greatly appreciate the generosity and support from our brother and sister dealers in Mississippi," said Jim Cognetta, president of Dana Ford Lincoln. "We are so thankful for the kindness shown by the Ford dealer family, particularly in this time of need."
Jimmy Walker, president of Laurel Ford Lincoln, is coordinating the efforts of the Mississippi dealers.
Walker saw news accounts of the disaster and the anguish of the residents of New York, and recalled the need during Hurricane Katrina and the difficulty getting relief supplies to those in the area. His first step was to go to the local WalMart and purchase 2,000 blankets and ship to Dana Ford – because he anticipated cold weather would soon hit the Northeast.
Following that, he reached out to local Ford dealers in Mississippi. The response was and continues to be overwhelming, officials shared.
And other organizations are doing their part, as well.
Christian Services is helping to coordinate the effort in Mississippi and KLLM Transport Services is donating trucks, fuel and manpower to transport all of the donated items to the dealership in New York.
"This generous outpouring of support from the Ford family of dealers in Mississippi will help a great deal as the people of Staten Island continue to recover from the effects of Hurricane Sandy. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with them," said Curt Skaluba, East Region manager of sales, parts and service operations for Ford.
The Blue Oval has donated to Hurricane Sandy relief in other ways, as well.
Ford Motor Company Fund and Ford employees donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross and its chapters to assist with disaster relief in the aftermath of the storm. This donation is part of Ford's involvement in the 2012 Red Cross Disaster Responder Program.
Ford is also offering customers affected by Hurricane Sandy $500 Bonus Cash savings off vehicle MSRP toward the purchase or lease of any eligible 2012 or 2013 model year Ford or Lincoln vehicle.
The incentive is available to current residents of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast through January 2013.
Ferrari Auctions First F12berlinetta in the U.S. To Support Hurricane Sandy Relief
And Hurricane Sandy hit especially close to home for Ferrari North America, whose headquarters are based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Using its products to help support storm relief efforts, Ferrari will donate the proceeds from auctioning the first F12berlinetta in the U.S. market to the American Red Cross to support the organization's relief efforts in the affected area, the OEM shared.
The auction is scheduled for Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. CST at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Interested bidders who will not have the opportunity to attend this auction, should contact their local Ferrari dealers, the company said.
Also, the company created a special contribution page jointly with American Red Cross, https://american.redcross.org/ferrari where Ferrari fans can directly make a contribution to the Red Cross.
Marco Mattiacci, chief executive officer and president, Ferrari North America, said, "Here at Ferrari, we have experienced and seen the devastation that Hurricane Sandy has caused in the affected area first hand. We want to use our event next week at Formula 1 in Austin to give back to our local community by auctioning the F12berlinetta."
Mattiacci added, "The F12berlinetta is already in high demand and we expect the auction to yield a significant contribution to storm relief."