SPRINGDALE, Ark., Sept. 28, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Four Arkansas food banks received protein donations today from Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) as part of the company's continued commitment to fight hunger in America. Four truckloads of donations were delivered to the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas in Jonesboro, River Valley Regional Food Bank in Fort Smith, the Arkansas Foodbank Network in Little Rock and the Ozark Food Bank in Springdale. Together, these food banks serve more than 800 participating agencies including soup kitchens, emergency shelters and food pantries.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates nearly 500,000 Arkansans, or about 18.5 percent of the population, live in poverty. "Some Arkansas families struggle daily to provide well-balanced nutrition for their children," said Phyllis Haynes, executive director of the Arkansas Foodbank Network. "We are grateful for protein donations such as the one from Tyson today because a protein-filled meal helps us provide sustainable nutrition for our clients." Haynes said perishable items account for only 20 percent of donated product to the food bank.
Haynes said more than half of Arkansas school-aged children are eligible for free or reduced price lunch programs. The America's Second Harvest Almanac of Hunger and Poverty in America 2006, published in June 2006, reported an estimated 17.6 percent of Arkansans lived below the poverty level. The figure is based on a three-year average on the years studied from 2002 to 2004. Of the 17.6 percent, children account for an estimated 21.8 percent of the population living in poverty. On average, an estimated 14.8 percent of Arkansans are food insecure. The American Dietetic Association defines hunger insecurity as "limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways."
The donation is part of Tyson Foods and America's Second Harvest's three-year partnership, through which Tyson Foods has pledged to donate at least 10 million pounds of protein to the nationwide food bank network and charitable domestic hunger-relief organization. All four food banks receiving protein today are members of Second Harvest(r) -- The Nation's Food Bank Network.
"Today's donation to these Arkansas food banks will provide much needed protein for more than 500,000 meals," said Richard L. Bond, Tyson Foods president and chief executive officer. "Our company has a strong commitment to hunger relief, and it is very important to our team members to continue making an impact on hunger in our own communities."
Protein is one of the most efficient and long lasting sources of energy. The chicken donated today is one of the most concentrated sources of protein -- an essential nutrient of life. The average person -- man, woman or child -- needs to eat about 0.4 grams of protein for every pound of body weight, every day. This is approximately equivalent to five ounces of chicken, beef or pork.
In June, Tyson facilities nationwide kicked off a new program to raise funds and awareness for the fight against childhood hunger. The program is called Powering the Spirit(tm) and involves three key components: local fund-raising through cooking and grilling events, sales of a specially produced Tyson cookbook featuring recipes from the kitchens of Tyson team members nationwide and donation of 75 percent of the proceeds of those fund-raising efforts to the community where the money is raised.
About Hunger Relief Nationwide
Tyson has made significant impact in the fight against hunger nationwide through a partnership with Share Our Strength(r), and America's Second Harvest-The Nation's Food Bank Network. Share Our Strength is a nonprofit that inspires and organizes individuals and businesses to share their strengths in innovative ways to help end childhood hunger in America. America's Second Harvest is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the country with more than 200 food banks in its network.
Since Tyson's partnership with hunger relief organizations began in 2000, the company has provided more than 39 million pounds of chicken, beef and pork -- supplying more than 156 million meals with essential protein -- to benefit more than 400 hunger relief organizations across the U.S. Tyson has made a significant impact leading the fight against hunger through its ongoing partnerships with America's Second Harvest, Share Our Strength, Lift Up America and others.
According to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey released in August 2005, which studied conditions in 2004, the poverty rate in America rose by 4 percent to 35.9 million people, one-third of whom are children.
For more information on how to get involved in the fight against hunger go to www.tyson.com, http://www.secondharvest.org or www.strength.org.