CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Smithfield Foods' Helping Hungry Homes® initiative, a program focused on alleviating hunger across the country, joined forces with Kroger to donate 30,000 pounds of protein to Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. The donation, which is equivalent to more than 120,000 servings, will help alleviate hunger across the Blue Ridge area, where one in ten Virginians struggle with hunger.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c98a01d5-324f-4549-bf23-efe814ae78ad

"We could not serve thousands of families in need throughout our community without generous donations like this one," said Michael McKee, chief executive officer for Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. "Smithfield's protein donation will make a significant impact on our fight against hunger, which is not only a concern during the holiday season, but throughout the year."

Representatives from Smithfield and Kroger presented the donation to Blue Ridge Area Food Bank at a local Kroger location this morning. During the event, members from all three organizations spoke to the importance of donations to the Blue Ridge area. In this community, more than 140,000 individuals are considered food insecure and one in six of those are children.

"At Kroger, we are dedicated to helping all our communities grow and prosper, which is not possible without proper nutrition," said Allison McGee, spokesperson for Kroger's Mid-Atlantic Division. "As a national food retailer, we understand the importance of good food to our community and are proud to partner with Smithfield in a new community to provide such a large donation to Blue Ridge Area Food Bank."

Smithfield's donation to Blue Ridge Area Food Bank was the second donation of the 2017 Helping Hungry Homes® nationwide hunger-relief tour. Throughout the annual tour, Smithfield will partner with local retailers to provide food banks with large-scale protein donations.

"Smithfield is honored to partner with Kroger and provide protein to families living in the Blue Ridge area," said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. "We hope this donation will inspire others to become active members in the fight against hunger."  

Helping Hungry Homes®, now in its ninth year, will help fight hunger this year through more than 50 large-scale protein donations to food banks across the United States. To date, Helping Hungry Homes® has provided more than 45 million servings of protein to food banks across America. For more information about Helping Hungry Homes® and a list of upcoming donation events, visit helpinghungryhomes.com.

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 Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Founded in 1981, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is the largest organization alleviating hunger in western and central Virginia. Headquartered in Verona, VA, the Food Bank serves 25 counties and eight cities through distribution centers in Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Winchester and Verona. The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank distributes nearly 24.6 million pounds of food annually to 114,400 people each month through a network of 215 community partners — food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, schools, churches and other non-profit groups. The Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, a national food bank association that supports 200 food banks across the United States. For more information, visit www.brafb.org. 

About Kroger's Mid-Atlantic Division
The Mid-Atlantic Division operates 121 stores, 118 pharmacies and 92 fuel centers in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio.  Headquartered in Roanoke, the Mid-Atlantic Division is dedicated to making a difference in the communities it serves by supporting hunger relief, women's health, our troops and their families, and local schools and grassroots organizations.  Kroger is also a strong supporter of the Salvation Army, American Red Cross and organizations that promote the advancement of women and minorities.  In 2016 Kroger's charitable giving is $287 million.  Fortune magazine named Kroger the "most generous company in America."  For more information, visit www.kroger.com.

Media Contacts:

Dalton Agency for Smithfield
Kaytee Allaben
(904) 226-9890
kallaben@daltonagency.com

Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Abena Foreman-Trice
(540) 213-8405
aforemantrice@brafb.org

Kroger
Allison McGee
(540) 563-3629
allison.mcgee@kroger.com