• by Tanya Gazdik , September 28, 2016

Mercedes-Benz Financial Services is partnering with Michigan Urban Farming Initiative for a service project. 

The linkup is one of the automaker’s eight projects for its fourth annual Week of Caring. More than 100 employee volunteers will install an entire orchard that will provide fresh fruit for the community for years to come. Urban farming is not a new concept but an urban orchard is. MUFI is also unique because they not only engage the community in sustainable agriculture, they also give all the food they produce to their neighbors and local residents.

Other projects include working with underserved students and families; planting and harvesting gardens; preparing food for those in need; neighborhood cleanup and beautification; and helping build a home for deserving families.

During Week of Caring, there will be more than 500 employees volunteering across Metro Detroit and 1,200 nationwide, giving more than 3,000 hours of service. Volunteers from the company’s business operations center, located in Fort Worth, Texas, are also participating in projects, and the company’s locations in Atlanta; Fort Mill, S.C.; and Mississauga, Ont., also will take part in one-day projects.

MBFS pays for employees to take a day for the project (they get to choose which community partner they would like to support among the planned projects). Employees also get another volunteer day to use sometime throughout the year with any non-profit of their choice.

“The Week of Caring initiative comes from a true commitment by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services to the communities where we operate, which definitely reflects the core values of our company,” Chris Browne, senior manager - marketing communications and point of sale, tells Marketing Daily. “From a corporate marketing point of view, our commitment to the community is an important value that our employees, customers and dealers tell us they respect and want, which supports being an employer of choice, as well as a finance company of choice.”

There’s also a potential payoff in the showroom. 

“Top research from institutions such as Boston College validates what we believe, that consumers value genuine and dedicated philanthropic efforts as part of their decision-making process,” Browne says.

The automaker is promoting the Week of Caring activities on social media using the hashtags #everycommunitymatters and #weekofcaring.