SMITHFIELD, Virginia
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September 27, 2023
(press release)
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Smithfield, Va., Sept. 27, 2023 — Smithfield Foods, in partnership with Hy-Vee, donated 32,000 pounds of food to the Food Bank of Iowa to fight hunger and provide nutritionally important protein for family tables.
The donation, including ham, bacon, sausage and other Smithfield pork products, will provide nearly 130,000 servings of protein to individuals facing food insecurity in 55 counties throughout Iowa. Following the donation, team members from Smithfield’s Des Moines, Altoona, Carroll, Denison and Algona locations volunteered at the food bank, sorting and packing a record-breaking 4,865 pounds of potatoes.
“At Smithfield Foods, we feel a deep sense of responsibility to support and give back to the communities we call home,” said Jonathan Toms, senior community development manager for Smithfield Foods. “Our team members, including more than 3,900 right here in the state of Iowa, work tirelessly to help feed the world. This donation of protein in partnership with the Food Bank of Iowa and Hy-Vee will make a significant impact for our neighbors facing food insecurity.”
Michelle Book, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Iowa, said, “We’re all in the business of feeding people – Smithfield, Hy-Vee and Food Bank of Iowa – so it makes sense that we would come together in this effort in making sure Iowans facing hunger can put food on the table.”
Nate Stewart, District Store Director, Hy-Vee, Inc., said, “Today’s event is just another example of our great partnership with Smithfield, a company that understands the importance of working together to fight food insecurity.”
Hy-Vee is conducting a major campaign through the end of the 2023 to provide 100 million meals to the Feeding America® network of partner food banks across the Midwest. This collaborative campaign brings together Feeding America partner food banks, manufacturers and suppliers, as well as Hy-Vee customers, to help support people across the Midwest who are experiencing food insecurity.
Since 2008, Smithfield’s signature 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. In 2022, Smithfield donated nearly 25 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs across the U.S. To reflect its continued commitment to fighting food insecurity, Smithfield has pledged to donate 200 million servings of protein by 2025.
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