Donation Will Provide More Than 140,000 Servings to Food Bank During Summer Months, a Time of Increased Need in Northwest North Carolina
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., June 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield and Lowes Foods partnered this morning to donate more than 35,000 pounds of protein to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina during the 11th stop of Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes tour. The donation will provide more than 140,000 servings and help the food bank continue to provide meals to the 16 percent of families and individuals in northwest North Carolina who are suffering from hunger.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7b3dcb30-1e62-4355-9392-081fde415d50
Helping Hungry Homes, now in its eighth year, is Smithfield’s coast-to-coast campaign 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 3.5 million servings. To date, Helping Hungry Homes has provided more than 38 million servings of protein to food banks across America.
Representatives from Smithfield and Lowes Foods presented the donation to Second Harvest Food Bank during an event on Tuesday, June 14 at Second Harvest, located at 3655 Reed St, Winston-Salem, NC. Speakers discussed the importance of donations like this in northwest North Carolina, where one in four children suffer from hunger and are under-nourished.
“School has just let out for summer and 1 in 4 children in our region are losing the one meal that they can count on—school lunch,” said Tomi Melson, Second Harvest director of development and community relations. “These children are at risk of losing all they have gained during the school year so we are very focused on helping them. This timely gift from Smithfield will help provide necessary protein to these children. Summer meals matter for hungry kids and we are thankful for Smithfield’s support.”
“Lowes Foods appreciates this significant donation and our partnership with Smithfield,” said Tim Lowe, president of Lowes Foods. “As a locally-based and family-owned grocer, we work hard to live out our promise to help bring community back to the table through strong ties with local farms, local suppliers, and our commitment to our neighbors. We are proud that each year during the past 21 years, Lowes Foods creates the largest food drive annually within North Carolina, and that we have donated close to 20 million pounds of food to-date. Our Bag Childhood Hunger and Friends Feeding Friends programs make it easy for our guests, suppliers and hosts to make a difference within their local communities.”
“During the summer months, many children on school-assisted lunch programs don’t know where they’ll be getting their next meal,” said Dennis Pittman, Smithfield senior director of corporate communications and public affairs. “Smithfield is proud to provide Second Harvest Food Bank with this donation through our Helping Hungry Homes program to help assist these children, as well as thousands of other families and individuals suffering from hunger throughout northwestern North Carolina.”
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, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. 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 Lowes Foods
Founded in 1954, Lowes Foods employs approximately 9,000 people and operates 95 full-service supermarkets in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Locally owned and operated, Lowes Foods is truly a homegrown company committed to bringing community back to the table, by providing customers with the freshest and most innovative local products from local suppliers. The company maintains a strong focus on exceptional attention to our guests, with services like Lowes Foods-To-Go personal shopping and gas rewards discounts. To learn more, visit lowesfoods.com or follow Lowes Foods on Facebook or Twitter. Lowes Foods, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alex Lee, Inc.
About Alex Lee, Inc.
Founded in 1931, Alex Lee is a family-owned and operated company that employs approximately 10,000 people. It serves as the parent company of Merchants Distributors, LLC, which provides full-service, wholesale distribution to supermarkets. In addition, Alex Lee is the parent company of Lowes Foods, which includes 94 full-service grocery stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, as well as Just Save food stores in North Carolina. Alex Lee, Inc. is based in Hickory, NC.
About Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC is the leading hunger-relief organization for an 18-county service area. In partnership with more than 400 local food assistance programs (food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters and special feeding programs for children and seniors), Second Harvest Food Bank works to address immediate needs for food assistance and passionately pursues an end to hunger through outreach, education and advocacy. Collectively, our network is a source of food and hope for nearly 300,000 neighbors in need each year, including 100,000 children. Special Second Harvest Food Bank programs include initiatives to combat childhood hunger; the Triad Community Kitchen culinary job training program; Nutrition Education Services and others. To learn more, visit www.hungernwnc.org. Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Food.Bank.NWNC or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nwncfoodbank.