Smithfield donates $100,000 and thousands of pounds of food to host resource rallies and help fight food insecurity
Smithfield Foods is teaming up with leading anti-hunger organization Feed the Children this back-to-school season to provide children and families with wholesome food items, backpacks, shelf-stable food, household essentials and more in three communities where Smithfield Foods operates as a local employer.
Together, the organizations are holding three resource rallies, each serving approximately 400 families, to help take a bite out of hunger in local communities. The first rally was held in Crete, Nebraska, on Aug. 6, and future rallies are planned in Monmouth, Illinois, on Aug. 13, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Aug. 26. The rallies are made possible by a $100,000 donation from Smithfield Foods.
Smithfield Foods is also donating thousands of pounds of much-needed protein to the families served at the events, including products such as Smithfield® bacon, hams, ribs and loins.
“Having access to safe and wholesome food is key to starting the school year off on the right foot,” said Steve Evans, vice president of community development for Smithfield Foods. “We’re proud to partner with Feed the Children to ensure that local children and families have the support they need for success in and out of the classroom.”
“Children cannot thrive unless their basic needs are met,” said Travis Arnold, president and CEO of Feed the Children. “A widespread issue like childhood hunger will only be solved when enough people work together. Partners like Smithfield Foods are vital to our mission as we serve communities across the U.S.”
At each of these events, families will receive a 25-pound box of shelf-stable food including canned vegetables, macaroni and cheese and cereal. Families will also receive a 15-pound box of household essentials containing items such as shampoo, laundry detergent, razors and toothpaste. In addition, children will receive backpacks that contain a variety of school supplies such as notebooks, folders, glue sticks, crayons, pens and pencils as well as a shelf-stable meal kit.
With one in five children in the U.S. experiencing food insecurity, hunger remains a serious issue in many communities, especially during summer months and the back-to-school season. With the cost of supplies steadily increasing, it can be difficult for many families to send their children to school with the materials they need to learn and grow in the classroom.
Smithfield also recently donated $500,000 to fund SUN Bucks in North Carolina, a newly established, permanent USDA program that provides food assistance to children and families during the summer, and $100,000 to two pay-what-you-can cafés in Missouri and North Carolina.
Smithfield’s hunger relief program, Helping Hungry Homes®, has provided hundreds of millions of servings of protein all 50 U.S. states, as well as in Poland, Romania and Mexico, since 2008. Smithfield donated nearly 28 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs across the U.S. in 2023 and has pledged to donate 200 million servings of protein by 2025.
***Courtesy of Smithfield Foods, Inc***
