WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 13, 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 Lowes Foods to donate more than 40,000 pounds of protein to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. The donation, equivalent to more than 160,000 servings, will help families fight hunger across Northwest North Carolina where one in six individuals are food insecure.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6950b43a-8039-426f-a463-7ad9752feca2

"Protein is an important part of a nutritious diet, but it is also an expensive and limited resource for many of our hungry neighbors," said Clyde Fitzgerald, chief executive officer of Second Harvest Food Bank for Northwest North Carolina. "With Smithfield's generous donation, we are able to provide high-quality protein to our many partner agencies, who will then be able to provide thousands of meals in our community."

Smithfield and Lowes Foods representatives presented the donation to Second Harvest 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 more than 330,000 individuals who face hunger each day in Northwest North Carolina.

"At Lowes, we are proud to donate resources and time to support causes near to our heart, especially hunger relief," said Tim Lowe, president of Lowes Foods. "This donation, in partnership with Smithfield, is one way we are giving back to our neighbors in need in North Carolina."

Smithfield's donation to Second Harvest 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.

"As a global food company, we understand the importance of proper nutrition and value our role as an active partner in the fight against hunger," said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. "Through this donation, Second Harvest will be better positioned to provide wholesome protein to families and individuals throughout Northwest North Carolina."

Following today's event, Helping Hungry Homes® will visit Seattle, Washington Tuesday, April 18 before traveling to Portland, Oregon Thursday, April 20. 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 Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, the North Carolina Feeding America affiliate for an 18-county service area, is the leading organization addressing hunger across our region. Working with more than 450 on-the-ground, non-profit partners, we provide access to nutritious food for neighbors who need it today, as we pursue an end to hunger through advocacy and innovative partnerships between the private, public and non-profit sectors and funders working to address poverty and other community challenges linked to persistent food security in our region. Our network helps nearly 300,000 neighbors with food assistance each year. One-third of those we are helping are children. Second Harvest Food Bank programs include special initiatives that are feeding futures; feeding opportunity; feeding health and feeding change. www.hungernwnc.org #feedingcommunity

About Lowes Foods
Founded in 1954, Lowes Foods employs approximately 9,000 people and operates nearly 100 full-service supermarkets in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Locally owned and operated, Lowes Foods is truly a homegrown company committed to bringing community back to the table, by providing customers with the freshest and most innovative local products from local suppliers. The company maintains a strong focus on exceptional attention to our guests, with services like Lowes Foods-To-Go personal shopping and gas rewards discounts. To learn more, visit lowesfoods.com or follow Lowes Foods on Facebook or Twitter. Lowes Foods, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alex Lee, Inc.

Media Contacts:

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

Second Harvest
Jenny Moore
(336) 413-4254
jmoore3@secondharvest.org

Lowes Foods
Scott Carpenter
(336) 722-9660
scott@capturevalue.com