SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes campaign partnered with Safeway this morning to provide more than 100,000 servings of protein to Placer Food Bank just in time for the holiday season. This considerable donation is part of Smithfield’s 300th Helping Hungry Homes donation milestone tour, during which the company will donate more than one million servings to nine food banks across the country through the end of the year. These nine donations are in addition to the 42 large-scale protein donations Smithfield has made across the United States in 2016.
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Representatives from Smithfield and Safeway presented the 25,000-pound protein donation, equivalent to 100,000 servings, to the food bank during an event at which speakers discussed the importance of donations like this in the Sacramento area, where one in eight individuals struggle with hunger.
Throughout November and December, Smithfield will travel from coast-to-coast to food banks in Florence, S.C., Charleston, S.C., Sacramento, Calif., Kansas City, Kan., Hampton, Va., Virginia Beach, Va., Bentonville, Ark., Baltimore, Md., and Tampa, Fla. Smithfield will continue its long commitment of partnering with local retailers with a history of philanthropy to make these donations and raise awareness of hunger in these areas.
“We’re extremely grateful to Smithfield for the generous donation of 25,000 pounds of their high-quality pork products to help provide more than 25,000 meals to families in need during this holiday season,” said Dave Martinez, executive director of Placer Food Bank. “It’s partnerships like this that make it possible to us to provide healthy and nutritious food to struggling families in our region. We truly appreciate their generous contribution and support of our local community.”
“Safeway is proud to partner with Smithfield to support the Helping Hungry Homes campaign,” said Wendy Gutshall, Safeway senior communications manager. “This campaign provides an opportunity to help local food banks distribute important protein items to those in need throughout the communities we serve. We’re glad to assist the Placer Food Bank to help make a brighter holiday for countless families.”
“Smithfield is honored to join Safeway during our 300th milestone tour to present this donation to Placer Food Bank just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday,” said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. “As a responsible food company, we take great pride in helping our neighbors in need, and through our Helping Hungry Homes tour, we’re proud to continue to support dozens of food banks nationwide. We encourage others to get involved and volunteer time, money, or food to help their local food banks.”
As part of its ongoing Helping Hungry Homes program, Smithfield has committed to donate more than seven million servings of protein to food banks nationwide in 2016 to help families and individuals suffering from hunger. To date, the program has provided more than 43 million servings of protein to food banks across America.
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®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Kretschmar®, Gwaltney®, Curly's®, Margherita®, Carando®, Healthy Ones®, Krakus®, Morliny®, and Berlinki®. 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 Safeway
Safeway is one of the most well-recognized grocery retail brands with a long-standing reputation for quality and service, proudly serving Northern California since 1926. The company operates more than 270 stores in Northern California, Nevada and Hawaii. Safeway is the top private company in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to The San Francisco Business Times. Safeway is a division of Albertsons Companies.
About Placer Food Bank
Placer Food Bank is a hunger-relief distribution center serving a regional network of 83 charitable feeding programs (e.g. rural food banks, food closets/pantries, shelters, congregate meal programs, churches, and schools) that feed 72,000 hungry people each month. We are the only Feeding America affiliate in the Sacramento region. From our facility in Roseville, we serve El Dorado, Nevada and Placer counties. Beyond traditional food aid, we have also embraced broader strategies to promote community building, economic development and self-reliance among our recipients. Our programs include emergency food distribution, Mobile Food Pantry, Kids BackPack, School Pantry, Community Gardens, and CalFresh Outreach.