Smithfield makes 150th donation to Helping Hungry Homes
The Smithfield Packing Co Inc has announced its 150th donation under the company’s Helping Hungry Homes initiative. This program has visited more than 108 US cities and provided more than 23,411,280 servings of protein to help end food insecurity.
Smithfield has a long history of stocking food banks, supporting after-school nutrition programs, and providing food relief in the wake of natural disasters. Established in 2008, Helping Hungry Homes is the company’s formal hunger-relief initiative focused on raising the awareness of food insecurity on a national level, and helping to alleviate hunger across the nation.
“The face of food insecurity has changed over the last decade,” said Dennis Pittman, director of corporate communications and public affairs for Smithfield. “Previously, households under the poverty line were typically the ones visiting food banks. However, several factors in recent years—such as heightened costs of living, combined with the global economic downturn and higher unemployment—have increased the need for help across the board.”
Since the program’s inception, Smithfield has traveled coast-to-coast to donate more than 5.85 million pounds of protein to food banks that serve their communities through local and emergency food pantries, low-income daycare centers, and disaster-relief agencies.
Highlights of the Helping Hungry Homes donation tour include:
•Participation in the “Lend a Hand Tour” with Al Roker and NBC’s “Today” show
•Providing protein to disaster-stricken Mineral VA in tandem with the Alan Jackson Benefit Concert
•Offering more than 1,620,000 servings to those affected by Superstorm Sandy
•Making a sizeable protein donation to “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in Dover DE
“This important donation milestone in our Helping Hungry Homes program represents Smithfield’s commitment to what we affectionately refer to as the company’s ‘Ham Brigade’ to increase awareness of food insecurity across the country, debunk common myths about hunger, inspire volunteerism, encourage other corporations to follow suit—and most importantly, provide much-needed protein to food-insecure homes,” said Pittman.
For more information about the Helping Hungry Homes program, visit www.smithfield.com/feedingthehungry and www.smithfieldcommitments.com/key-outreach-efforts/helping-hungry-homes. To learn how to volunteer at a food bank, visit www.feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx.
Founded in 1936 by Joseph W Luter and his son Joseph W Luter Jr, Smithfield produces and markets fresh pork, smoked meats, bacon, cooked hams, and hot dogs for retail, foodservice, and deli channels. The company exports products to approximately 30 nations.
For more information, visit www.smithfield.com.