SEATTLE, April 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tuesday, Smithfield Foods' Helping Hungry Homes® initiative, a program focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure, joined forces with Quality Food Centers (QFC) to donate more than 40,000 pounds of protein to Food Lifeline. The donation, equivalent to more than 160,000 servings, will help families fight hunger across Seattle where one in seven individuals are food insecure.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f9d51884-1c8b-440d-9c25-d6c537cbf5ce

"Protein is a resource that is high-demand, but is often very limited for many food banks and those we serve," said Linda Nageotte, president and CEO of Food Lifeline. "This donation from Smithfield and QFC will alleviate that shortage and support the many we serve for the coming weeks."

Smithfield and QFC representatives presented the donation to Food Lifeline at the event Tuesday morning. Members from all three organizations discussed food insecurity in the local community and the significance of this donation in helping the more than 670,000 individuals who face hunger each day in Washington.

"At QFC, we are honored to support the communities we call home and take an active role in the fight against hunger," said Zach Stratton, community affairs manager for QFC. "Our partnership with Smithfield will provide many meals to the thousands of people Food Lifeline serves each day."

Smithfield's donation to Food Lifeline 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 feed people, and we're passionate about providing protein to those who need it most throughout the year," said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. "This donation will bring further awareness of the issue of hunger in the Seattle community, and provide nutrition for the many people this food bank serves."

Today, Helping Hungry Homes® will visit Portland, Oregon. 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 Lifeline
Every year, nearly 40% of our country's food ends up in landfills, while millions go hungry.

Food Lifeline has a solution for both problems.

We rescue millions of pounds of this surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, grocery stores, and restaurants. We then deliver this healthy and nutritious food to 275 food banks, shelters and meal programs across Western Washington.

Thanks to your support, we provide 90,000 meals to our hungry neighbors every day. This, combined with our policy and advocacy work creates a sustainable solution for ending hunger.

That's why we say "Hunger Doesn't Have to Happen."

About QFC
Founded in Seattle 62 years ago, QFC is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and operates 64 stores in Western Washington and in Portland, Oregon. QFC has a long history as a neighborhood grocer, offering the highest quality products, exceptional service, and the finest shopping experience in the market.  QFC donates nearly $1 million to the communities it serves and nearly 3 million pounds of food to local food banks in Western Washington and Portland, Oregon. QFC is a division of the Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR). For more information, please visit our web site at www.qfc.com.

Media Contacts:

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

Food Lifeline
Mark Coleman
(206) 850-3752
markc@foodlifeline.org

QFC
Zach Stratton
(971) 258-1193
zach.stratton@fredmeyer.com