KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes program made the sixth stop on its nationwide hunger-relief tour this morning to donate 25,000 pounds of protein to Harvesters – The Community Food Network. Smithfield partnered with Price Chopper and Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) to help Harvesters kick off the 24th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the nation’s largest one-day food drive. On Saturday, May 14th, members of the National Association of Letter Carriers in Kansas City and across the country will collect thousands of pounds of food donated by postage customers. The public can participate by leaving nonperishable food donations by their mailbox to be collected.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/43dc154e-9009-4f18-bb24-504895414f07
Helping Hungry Homes, now in its eighth year, is Smithfield’s coast-to-coast program to help Americans become more food secure. This year, the program will help fight hunger through more than 30 large-scale protein donations to food banks across the United States totaling more than 3.4 million servings. To date, Helping Hungry Homes has provided more than 38 million servings of protein to food banks across America.
Racing legend Richard Petty, who has partnered with the Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes program to donate thousands of pounds of protein over recent years, was present to discuss the importance of these donations from Smithfield and to raise awareness about the necessity of providing assistance to our neighbors in need. Smithfield is the primary sponsor of the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 race team.
Petty joined representatives from Smithfield and Price Chopper to present the donation to Harvesters this morning at the Price Chopper store located at 9717 N. Ash Avenue. Kansas City, MO.
“One in every seven people in our community will receive food assistance from Harvesters’ network this year. This food will help Harvesters stock its shelves for the coming months, especially when children who receive free and reduced-price school meals are at home for the summer,” said Valerie Nicholson-Watson, President and CEO of Harvesters – The Community Food Network. “We’re so grateful for partners like Smithfield, Price Chopper, and RPM for helping us in our mission to feed hungry people today and work to end hunger tomorrow.”
“Feeding Kansas City is at the heart of what we do,” said Casie Broker, Director of Marketing, Price Chopper. “We take pride in being good neighbors and helping to support the community, especially those who need a hand up.”
“Smithfield is proud to partner with Price Chopper and RPM to provide Harvesters with this donation through our Helping Hungry Homes program,” said Dennis Pittman, Smithfield Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs. “As a food company, it’s our responsibility to help our neighbors in need. This donation will provide more than 100,000 servings of wholesome protein to families and individuals in need.”
“Richard Petty Motorsports is honored to participate in this donation leading into the race weekend here in Kansas City,” said Petty. “So many race fans are loyal customers of Smithfield and shop at Price Chopper, so it’s great to see the two organizations partnering to give back to the communities that support them, and our race team, throughout the year.”
About Smithfield
A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the “Ham Capital of the World.” From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield’s products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.
About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan's Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, John Morrell®, Gwaltney®, Kretschmar®, Margherita®, Curly's®, Carando® and Healthy Ones®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.
About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Aric Almirola and Brian Scott. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and the “Fresh From Florida” campaign. Scott will make his debut with the team and drive the Petty Family No. 44 Ford. Albertsons Companies, Shore Lodge, Twisted Tea and GoBowling.com will join Scott as he competes for Rookie of the Year in his first full-time season in the Sprint Cup Series. Richard Petty Motorsports will also field the No. 43 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with driver Jeb Burton, who will compete in his first full-time XFINTY season with partner J. Streicher. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
About Price Chopper
Price Chopper’s 51 Kansas City stores are locally owned by the Ball, Cosentino, McKeever, and Queen families, all of whom live in Kansas City and oversee store operations on a daily basis. For 36 years, the owners and employees of Price Chopper have been committed to providing the highest quality products and top-of-the-line customer service to the thousands of customers they serve every day. For more information, please visit www.mypricechopper.com.
About Harvesters – The Community Food Network
Harvesters is a regional food bank and was Feeding America’s 2011 Food Bank of the Year. Serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas, Harvesters provides food and related household products to more than 620 not-for-profit agencies including emergency food pantries, community kitchens, shelters and others. Agencies in Harvesters’ network provide food assistance to as many as 141,500 different people each month. Harvesters, which was founded in 1979, is a certified member of Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, serving all 50 states. For more information, visit www.harvesters.org.