HOUSTON, June 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield and Houston football star Cecil Shorts III donated more than 70,000 pounds of protein to the Houston Food Bank today, as part of Smithfield’s 14th stop on the nationwide Helping Hungry Homes tour. Smithfield partnered with Kroger to make this considerable contribution of more than 280,000 servings of protein. The donation will help serve the local Houston community after recent floods as well as the larger southeast Texas community where one in five people suffers from hunger.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8427ae6-c465-44ae-93c4-9307cb5d908b
Cecil Shorts III joined representatives from Smithfield and Kroger to present the donation to the Houston Food Bank on Tuesday, June 28 at 11:00 a.m., discussing the importance of donations like this in southeast Texas and raising awareness about the necessity of providing assistance to our neighbors in need.
Helping Hungry Homes, now in its eighth year, is Smithfield’s coast-to-coast program to help Americans become more food secure. This year, as part of an effort to raise awareness about the necessity of providing assistance to individuals and families in need, 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.
“I’m excited and honored to partner with Smithfield and its Helping Hungry Homes initiative to make this donation of 70,000 pounds of protein to the Houston Food Bank,” said Cecil Shorts III. “This community has been so supportive of my team and of my football career personally, so it was important for me to take this opportunity to give back and help provide the more than 280,000 servings to assist in alleviating hunger in the Houston area.”
“Protein is an essential element for good nutrition, but sadly, fresh meat is often out of reach for families who have trouble buying groceries,” said Brian Greene, president and CEO of the Houston Food Bank. “In the 18 southeast Texas counties served by the Houston Food Bank, 78% of our clients tell us they routinely cope with food insecurity by purchasing cheap, non-nutritious food. So we’re especially grateful for the generous donation of protein-packed product from Smithfield. We are eager to share it with food pantries throughout our network, where it can be distributed to make delicious, healthy meals.”
“Kroger is proud to partner with a vendor like Smithfield that is committed to helping the communities where we work and live,” said Joy Partain, Kroger public affairs manager. “This donation to the Houston Food Bank comes at a perfect time, given hurricane season is starting. The food bank’s reserves are low after providing food for victims of the recent floods, so this will help replenish their stock and ensure that those in need won’t go hungry this summer.”
“We are proud to partner with Cecil and Kroger today to provide the Houston 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 are proud to provide wholesome protein to families and individuals in the Southeast Texas area.”
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 the Houston Food Bank
The Houston Food Bank is a solution to hunger in times of need, nationally recognized by Feeding America as Food Bank of the Year in 2015. The largest source of food for hunger relief charities in 18 southeast Texas counties, the Food Bank feeds 800,000 individuals each year through a network of 600 food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers and other charities. Fresh produce, meat and nonperishables are distributed from the 308,000 square-foot warehouse at 535 Portwall and meals for kids are prepared and distributed from Keegan Center, a 15,000 square-foot industrial kitchen. Additional community services include nutrition education, school-based programs, food stamp applications and hands-on job training. Founded in 1982, the Houston Food Bank is a certified member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network, with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.
About Kroger (Houston Division)
Kroger operates 111 stores, 106 pharmacies and 79 fuel centers in greater Houston, Southeast Texas, Bryan-College Station and Southwest Louisiana and is part of one of the world’s largest grocery retailers serving customers in 35 states and the District of Columbia with 2,778 stores. For more than 125 years, Kroger has emphasized a customer-first approach to providing quality products, value pricing, outstanding service and an exceptional shopping experience. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, the grocery retailer is dedicated to making a difference in the communities it serves by supporting hunger relief, education, health and wellness, military families and diversity programs. Resulting from the retailer’s philanthropic commitment, Forbes magazine lists Kroger as the most generous company in America. For more information about Kroger, download the free Kroger mobile app or connect on kroger.com, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.