AUBURN HILLS, Mich.,
Feb. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- BorgWarner helped launch the Michigan Urban Farming
Initiative's (MUFI's) crowdfunding effort today with a $10,000 donation to support America's first
sustainable urban agrihood in Detroit's North End. If the $50,000 funding goal is met by April 2, the Michigan Economic Development
Corporation (MEDC) will provide a matching grant with funds from
MEDC'S Public Spaces Community Places program.
"Through the all-volunteer efforts at MUFI, vacant land is
producing fruits and vegetables. Now, in an area with few fresh
food options, a vacant building will be refurbished to teach the
importance of nutrition and serve healthy food in its café," said
Daniel Paterra, Vice President,
Enterprise Sustainability and Reliability, BorgWarner. "BorgWarner
is excited to help finance this innovative neighborhood
revitalization project with the first contribution to the
crowdfunding campaign. We encourage other companies and individuals
to support their community through this effective program."
"BorgWarner is long recognized around the globe for their
innovative work in propulsion technologies, but are equally
impactful in communities, said Tyson
Gersh, president of MUFI. "From donating bikes for kids in
Germany, to providing flood relief
supplies in India, or helping to
uplift our North End neighborhood in Detroit, BorgWarner's impact on our
communities make the world a better place."
Funds raised will transform a vacant three-story apartment
building into a 3,200-square-foot Community Resource Center with
gathering space for educational programs and training opportunities
as well as two commercial kitchens and a healthy food café. Once
two-square-blocks of vacant land, the campus currently includes a
2-acre urban garden, 200-tree fruit orchard, sensory garden and
water-harvesting cistern. Over the past four growing seasons, the
project has provided more the 50,000 lbs. of mostly free produce to
more than 2,000 households, food pantries, churches and businesses
in the area.
The building restoration project will be a featured component of
Sustainable Brands '17 Detroit global conference held in
Detroit for the first time at Cobo
Convention Center May 22-25. For project details and to
donate, please visit Michigan-based crowdfunding platform
Patronicity at http://www.patronicity.com/mufi.
About BorgWarner
BorgWarner Inc. (NYSE: BWA) is a
global product leader in clean and efficient technology solutions
for combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles. With manufacturing
and technical facilities in 62 locations in 17 countries, the
company employs approximately 27,000 worldwide. For more
information, please visit borgwarner.com.
About MUFI
Founded in late 2011, The Michigan Urban
Farming Initiative is an all-volunteer nonprofit whose mission is
to use urban agriculture as a platform to promote education,
sustainability, and community in an effort to uplift and empower
urban neighborhoods, solve social problems, and develop a broader
model for redevelopment for other urban communities. The group's
focus is the redevelopment and growth of a two-square block area in
Detroit's North End through
alternative and cost-efficient models.
BorgWarner's donation to MUFI's crowdfunding campaign will
transform a vacant apartment building into a Community Resource
Center adjacent to the all-volunteer organization's urban garden in
Detroit's North End.
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SOURCE BorgWarner