Smithfield’s Nationwide “Helping Hungry Homes” Tour Heads to Dallas/Fort Worth To Donate 25,000 Pounds of Protein To Tarrant Area Food Bank

Smithfield Partners With Market Street and Richard Petty Motorsports To Provide More Than 100,000 Servings To North Texas Families


FORT WORTH, Texas, April 08, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In celebration of the race weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes program made the third stop on its nationwide hunger-relief tour to donate 25,000 pounds of protein to the Tarrant Area Food Bank and help serve the North Texas community. Smithfield partnered with Market Street and Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) to make this considerable donation, which equals 100,000 servings of protein. 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 37 million servings of protein to food banks across America.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9a7573b8-3535-4471-ab46-4950c855e7fc

“The King” Richard Petty and RPM’s No. 43 driver Aric Almirola, who have partnered with the Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes program to donate thousands of pounds of protein over recent years, were 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 and Almirola joined representatives from Smithfield and Market Street to present the donation to Tarrant Area Food Bank on Friday, April 8 at 10:00 a.m. at the Market Street store located at 5605 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville, TX.

“Tarrant Area Food Bank is indeed grateful for this very generous donation from Smithfield Foods and Market Street, especially since meat protein is not donated as often as other foods,” said Bo Soderbergh, Executive Director for Tarrant Area Food Bank. “Hundreds of families will be nourished by these 100,000 servings of Smithfield products. Also feeding our neighbors are fresh produce and other foods donated every week by Market Street. We couldn't accomplish our mission without the generous donations from these two food partners.”

"Market Street is thrilled to be a part of another significant donation to the Tarrant Area Food Bank," said Robert Bollinger, regional vice president for The United Family. "Shelf-stable products are the most common type of food bank donation, so to see such a large donation of fresh meat is truly a blessing. We salute Smithfield for their generosity and for the difference they make in our communities."

“Smithfield is proud to partner with Market Street and RPM to provide Tarrant Area Food Bank 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. Through this donation, we hope to provide wholesome protein to families and individuals in the North Texas area.”

“The No. 43 RPM team is honored to participate in this donation with our sponsor, Smithfield,” said No. 43 team owner Richard Petty. “So many race fans are loyal customers of Smithfield and shop at Market Street, 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, 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®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, John Morrell®, Gwaltney®, Nathan's Famous®, 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 for Rookie of the Year in his first full-time season with partner J. Streicher. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.

About Tarrant Area Food Bank
Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB), founded in 1982 and a member of the Feeding America network, collaborates with community organizations and volunteers to alleviate hunger in Fort Worth and 13 surrounding counties. With the belief that all people deserve regular, nutritious meals, TAFB continually seeks innovative ways to reach more people struggling with food insecurity and hunger. Each month, on average, TAFB distributes 2 million meals worth of nutritious food through partner hunger-relief charities and its own mobile pantry programs. Learn more at TAFB.org and on Facebook Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

About Market Street®
Market Street® is a unique and inspiring shopping experience – the place to go for people who care about food, who want a healthier lifestyle, and who are open to fresh new food ideas. It’s the place “where everyday meets gourmet” – where guests can bring many shopping lists to one store. Market Street locations can be found in Abilene, Allen, Amarillo, Colleyville, Coppell, Flower Mound, Frisco, Lubbock (3), McKinney, Midland, Odessa, Plano and Wichita Falls.

About The United Family®
In its 100th year of operation, United Supermarkets, LLC – d.b.a. The United Family® – is a Texas-based grocery chain with stores in 36 communities in West Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth and New Mexico. A self-distributing company with headquarters in Lubbock and distribution centers in Lubbock and Roanoke, The United Family currently operates 66 stores under five unique banners: United Supermarkets, Market Street, Amigos, Albertsons Market and United Express, along with ancillary operations R.C. Taylor Distributing, Praters and Llano Logistics. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Albertson’s LLC. For more information, please visit www.unitedtexas.com.


            
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