Across the country, in communities like Georgetown, Kentucky and San Antonio, Texas, Toyota’s commitment to being a good neighbor is demonstrated by the generosity of its team members, whose volunteering efforts in the communities where they work create a sense of connection and goodwill felt locally and nationally.

Some projects involve grand, heartwarming gestures—like the semi-truck full of wrapped gifts delivered by team members in Indiana to the Salvation Army during the 2010 holiday season, and the 3,000 seedlings donated to the West Virginia Division of Forestry for distribution to volunteer groups to plant on public property.

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On a more local scale but with the same big heart, team members responded quickly when they learned that two Kentucky non-profits near Toyota's Northern Kentucky manufacturing headquarters —the Behringer-Crawford Museum and The Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky —had been vandalized and robbed just before Christmas last year. The damage included removal of air conditioning and filtration units for copper pipes at the museum, as well as the theft of items, including TV sets, used by the young boys who lived at the Children's Home. In a matter of hours, just two days before Christmas, Toyota provided $10,000 in emergency funding to both organizations.

These efforts, the rapid, on-the-ground response to local causes and needs, as well as an ongoing sense of service, make Toyota a welcome and valuable part of the communities where its team members live and work.

One of the ongoing volunteer projects of 2011 involves Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas, Inc (TMMTX). TMMTX has partnered with Councilwoman Jennifer V. Ramos, the San Antonio River Authority and National Parks Service on a Mission Espada/River Clean Up Project. Team members from the plant are rolling up their sleeves and pitching in with families and friends to help revamp and restore the natural areas on the Southside of San Antonio.

“We are very excited to have Toyota play major role in the District 3 community,” said Councilwoman Ramos. “The history of San Antonio starts with the Missions and the San Antonio River. Therefore, it makes sense to keep this area restored, clean, and beautified through the efforts of TMMTX, S.A.R.A. and the National Parks Service.”

In addition to picking up debris along two miles of both sides of the banks of the San Antonio River, volunteers will also support Mission Espada in landscaping and beautifying the area by installing picnic tables for the mission and planting flowers in the vicinity.

“As a Southside community neighbor, TMMTX strives to support many and various community activities but we especially like to focus on opportunities that are located in our backyard,” said Chris Nielsen, President of TMMTX. “We are excited to help clean around the river and Mission Espada, which will not only benefit our neighbors on the Southside, but will benefit all of the visitors that come to enjoy this area.”

“With this river clean-up along the San Antonio River and [TMMTX’s] ongoing support of a water quality monitoring station along the Medina River, Toyota continually exhibits their commitment to watershed protection, demonstrating that sustainable practices can support both economic development and the environment,” said Suzanne Scott, General Manager of the San Antonio River Authority. That commitment extends beyond volunteering efforts—it’s a part of Toyota’s manufacturing practices as well. At the San Antonio plant, which builds the Tacoma and Tundra pickup trucks, 100% of the water used to build the trucks is recycled water.

By the numbers, Toyota’s calendar year 2010 philanthropic efforts are impressive, and specific projects like one with the San Antonio River Authority and the National Parks Service mean so much to Toyota team members themselves as they take part in helping the communities where they live and work.