Today, Smithfield Foods’ Helping Hungry Homes® initiative, a program focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure, joined forces with Kroger to donate more than 35,000 pounds of protein to North Texas Food Bank. The donation, equivalent to more than 140,000 servings, will help those fighting hunger in North Texas, where one in six individuals are food insecure.

“The majority of those we serve often have to buy inexpensive, nutrient-poor foods just to feed their families,” said Simon Powell, interim president and CEO of North Texas Food Bank. “We are grateful for today’s large donation from Smithfield and Kroger, which allows us to provide high-quality, protein-rich food to our partner agencies for our neighbors in need.”

Smithfield and Kroger representatives presented the donation to North Texas Food Bank this morning at an event that raised awareness of hunger in the local community. Members from all three organizations discussed the significance of this donation in helping the more than 850,000 individuals, including the one in four children, who face hunger in North Texas every day.

“Kroger has a long history of helping those in need in the communities we serve,” said April Martin Nickels, public affairs manager with Kroger. “We are proud to partner with Smithfield at yet another Helping Hungry Homes donation today and continue our shared promise to fight hunger and improve food security throughout our country.”

Smithfield’s donation to North Texas Food Bank is a part of the Helping Hungry Homes® 2017 nationwide donation tour. Throughout the annual tour, Smithfield will provide large-scale protein donations to more than 50 food banks across the country. This donation adds to the more than 65 million servings of protein donated since 2011.

“At Smithfield, we know that we are stronger when we join forces with local organizations that share our passion to end hunger,” said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. “We hope this donation and its positive impact on the North Texas community will inspire others to become further involved in local hunger-relief efforts.”

Following today’s event, Helping Hungry Homes® will visit Lincoln, Nebraska on April 4, Omaha, Nebraska on April 6, Seattle, Washington on April 18 and Portland, Oregon on April 20. For more information about Helping Hungry Homes® and a list of upcoming donation events, visit helpinghungryhomes.com.

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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 North Texas Food Bank
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a top-ranked nonprofit hunger-relief organization with its primary distribution center in Southwest Dallas, and administrative headquarters located in the Dallas Farmers Market. Each day, NTFB provides access to more than 190,000 meals for hungry children, seniors, and families through a network of more than 1,000 programs and more than 200 Partner Agencies. In fiscal year 2016, NTFB provided access to some 70 million nutritious meals. While the NTFB is making steady progress toward closing the hunger gap, much work remains to be done to reach the organization's 10year goal of providing 92 million nutritious meals annually by 2025. NTFB is a member of Feeding America, a national hunger relief organization.

About the Kroger Dallas Division
Kroger operates 109 stores, 105 pharmacies and 62 fuel centers in North Texas, East Texas and Northwest 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.

Media Contacts:

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

North Texas Food Bank
Anna Kurian (214) 724-6565 annak@ntfb.org

Kroger
April Martin Nickels (469)645-7920 April.martinnickels@kroger.com