An assembly line is a fast-paced environment dedicated to efficiently producing a product. However, once a year the employees at a different Ford facility pause the line and turn their focus to helping kids in need at Christmas. The Ford plant in Craiova, Romania, spends most days building the B-MAX multi-purpose vehicle and ultra-efficient 1.0-liter EcoBoost engines. This year its workers stopped to build toys.

Once a year a Ford assembly plant stops building vehicles to take on a far more important task—building toys for children in need. This year it was the Romanian plant that builds the B-MAX multi-purpose vehicle and the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engines. The toys and other gifts donated by workers are given to kids at hospitals and orphanages. (Photo Credit: Ford)

“Watching the toys come down the line is an amazing sight and the employees really get into the spirit of things by dressing up as Santa’s helpers. It’s important that we as a company give back to the wider community and this is a great way to make that happen,” said Linda Cash, vice president, Manufacturing, Ford of Europe.

Along with other gifts collected by the employees, the toy Fords they build will end up in the Christmas stockings of children in hospitals, orphanages or those who are simply in need.

While workers at Ford Motor Company plants from Germany to Spain to the United Kingdom also donate to charities for the homeless and needy children, the touching gesture of building toys at the Romanian plant definitely puts us in the holiday spirit.