Vehicle loan will allow nonprofit to continue directly serving communities in need

Nashville is bracing for winter amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with cold temperatures, indoor gatherings, and flu season compounding concerns. Today, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) announces it will extend its loan of a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV) to the Community Resource Center (CRC) for an additional six months, allowing CRC staff and volunteers the flexibility needed to deliver essential supplies directly to families and nonprofits in need across Middle Tennessee.

"In a year when so much seems out of our control, Mitsubishi Motors committed to doing what we can to make our Middle Tennessee community safer and stronger," said MMNA Chief Operating Officer Mark Chaffin. "The Community Resource Center has been at the heart of disaster response efforts since day one, and we are proud to continue supporting their important work with the reliability and efficiency of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV."

The partnership between MMNA and the CRC began in March of 2020, following a devastating tornado outbreak across Middle Tennessee, and has continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With flexible cargo space and the ability to travel up to 22 miles on all-electric power before switching over to its 2.0-liter gasoline engine, the Outlander PHEV has been used by the CRC since March for the following:

• Delivery of hygiene kits and cleaning supplies to some of the CRC's more than 100 non-profit partners, including The Store, a year-round free grocery store, St. Luke's Community House, which serves seniors with disabilities, and Project Connect Nashville, which serves individuals stuck in the cycle of poverty.

• Delivery of household goods to Nashville tornado victims, including mattresses, bed frames, clothing, groceries, hygiene kits, and cleaning supplies.

• Pickup of COVID and tornado relief supplies such as groceries, clothing, blankets, and shoes from area stores and donations from local businesses.

• Shuttling of supplies back and forth from donation centers and CRC warehouses.

• In partnership with Mitsubishi headquarters staff and vehicle fleet, delivery of more than 6,000 plus teacher PPE kits to 135 Metro Nashville Public Schools.

The CRC provides new household goods, bedding, kitchenware, cleaning supplies, clothing, and personal hygiene items to more than 100 nonprofits in Middle Tennessee, serving a diverse client base, including at-risk children, disadvantaged seniors, domestic violence victims, refugees resettling in Middle Tennessee, the homeless and those with mental and physical challenges. Normally, agencies pick up supplies from the CRC warehouse, but COVID-19 has necessitated the CRC to move into a direct-service model.
"While the situation surrounding COVID-19 changes daily, the need for basic household essentials remains constant across our communities. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has allowed us greater flexibility in responding to those needs," said Community Resource Center Executive Director Tina Doniger. "In delivering these supplies, we are delivering hope, we are delivering peace of mind, and Mitsubishi is very much a part of that story."

The CRC partnership is a continuation of MMNA's corporate social responsibility initiative, known as "Small Batch - Big Impact," under which the company and its dealer partners plan to redefine the term "CUV" to mean "Community Utility Vehicle." The CUV program is creating a series of vehicle loans to small nonprofits to help support local communities. Other CUV donations have been made to Las Vegas-based Goodie Two Shoes Foundation and Dallas-based Record the Journey, with both charities using their Mitsubishi vehicles to further their respective outreach and mission.

About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.
Through a network of approximately 330 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, research and development, marketing, and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U.S. 2019 marked the brand's seventh consecutive year of sales growth, and MMNA was the top-ranked Japanese brand in the J.D. Power 2020 Initial Quality study, ranking sixth overall and experiencing the greatest year-over-year improvement of any brand.

Located in Franklin, Tennessee, MMNA is a part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Mitsubishi continues to lead the way in the development of highly efficient, affordably priced new gasoline-powered automobiles while using its industry-leading knowledge in battery-electric vehicles to develop future EV and PHEV models.