OMAHA, Neb., April 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Smithfield Foods' Helping Hungry Homes® initiative, a program focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure, joined forces with Hy-Vee to donate more than 25,000 pounds of protein to Food Bank for the Heartland. The donation, equivalent to more than 100,000 servings, will help fight hunger across Nebraska and western Iowa where one in eight people are food insecure.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72bf7ef0-9fb9-436a-b564-ce8b14fffb26

"Food Bank for the Heartland is focused on providing for and serving high-quality food to the thousands of hungry people in our community," said Susan Ogborn, president and CEO of Food Bank for the Heartland. "We are grateful to Smithfield and Hy-Vee for this large donation, which will provide nutritious protein to our hungry neighbors over the coming weeks."

Smithfield and Hy-Vee representatives presented the donation to Food Bank for the Heartland at the event this morning. Members from all three organizations discussed food insecurity in the local community and the significance of this donation in helping the nearly 220,000 individuals who face hunger each day in Nebraska and western Iowa.

"At Hy-Vee, we value our role to support our neighbors in need, especially those individuals who do not know where their next meal will come from," said Mitch Streit, store director for Hy-Vee. "Today, we are proud to work with Smithfield, a company that shares our passion in the fight against hunger, and provide more than 100,000 meals to those that seek support from Food Bank for the Heartland. With this donation, we kick off our Million Meal Challenge, a new initiative to provide one million meals through food and cash donations to local giving organizations to aid those in our community who are food insecure."

Smithfield's donation to Food Bank for the Heartland was 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 are passionate about supporting our communities in need," said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. "By providing this donation to Food Bank for the Heartland with help from Hy-Vee, thousands of our hungry neighbors will be able to provide their families with a protein-rich meal."

Following today's event, Helping Hungry Homes® will visit Seattle, Washington. 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 Food Bank for the Heartland (a member of Feeding America):
Food Bank for the Heartland is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Omaha, Nebraska that acts as a central clearinghouse distributing food to more than 530 network partners across 77 counties in Nebraska and 16 counties in western Iowa. Food Bank for the Heartland has distributed approximately 16 million meals in 2016 helping thousands of children, families, seniors, veterans, disabled individuals and others in need. For more information, visit www.FoodBankHeartland.org.

About Hy-Vee, Inc.
Hy-Vee Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 240 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $9.8 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee ranks in the Top 10 Most Trusted Brands and has been named one of America's Top 5 favorite grocery stores. The company's 84,000 employees provide "A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle" to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com.

Media Contacts:

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

Food Bank for the Heartland
Angie Grote
(402) 880-8916
agrote@foodbankheartland.org

Hy-Vee, Inc.
Lisa Gallup
(712)-325-9565
lgallup@hy-vee.com