CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 25, 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 Richard Petty and Aric Almirola, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame to donate nearly 250,000 pounds of protein to six North Carolina food banks. The donation, equivalent to nearly one million servings, will help families fight hunger across North Carolina where more than one in six individuals are food insecure.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/25f2566b-877f-4a7f-8b17-ff0f07930f57

"Each day, millions of our North Carolina neighbors struggle to put food on the table, often choosing between a house payment and groceries," said Kathy Helms, chief financial officer for Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. "Today's donation will benefit food banks across the entire state, helping tens of thousands in need."

Smithfield, Richard Petty Motorsports and the NASCAR Hall of Fame presented the donation to a representative of all six food banks at the event this morning. During the event, members from all organizations discussed food insecurity in North Carolina and the significance of this donation in helping the more than 1.7 million individuals who face hunger each day across the state.

"Today's event is a wonderful example of how organizations, companies and local heroes can come together to make a true difference in the community," said Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. "Helping give back to the community is something that is very important to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and we are proud to join forces with Smithfield and Richard Petty Motorsports to help bridge the hunger gap in North Carolina."

Richard Petty Motorsports has been an active Helping Hungry Homes® partner over the past several years. With RPM's support, Smithfield has garnered greater awareness of hunger across America through high-profile donation events.

"Our racing team is proud to stand with Smithfield and the NASCAR Hall of Fame today and is honored to participate in this massive donation," said Richard Petty, co-owner of the No. 43 team. "Many race fans are loyal customers of Smithfield and call North Carolina home, so it's great to be part of a partnership where we've all come together to support and give back to this state."

Today's large-scale donation will benefit the Food Bank of the Albemarle, Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, MANNA Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina and Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina.

"We are humbled to join with Smithfield and the NASCAR Hall of Fame to provide this much-needed, statewide donation," said Aric Almirola. "Today's event is yet another donation through our partnership with Smithfield, bringing aid to our community members in need coast-to-coast."

Smithfield's large donation to food banks across North Carolina 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.

"With more than 10,000 employees in North Carolina, Smithfield is invested in this community and is proud to support it in this way," said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. "This means helping families living in North Carolina become more food secure and doing our part to help alleviate hunger and raise awareness of this issue not only here, but across the country."

Following today's event, Helping Hungry Homes® will visit Chicago, Illinois the first week of May. 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 the NASCAR Hall of Fame
Conveniently located in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, opened May 11, 2010, and includes artifacts, hands-on exhibits, a 278-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop and NASCAR Productions-operated broadcast studio. The venue is open 10 a.m. — 6 p.m. seven days a week and has an attached parking garage on Brevard Street. The 5-acre site also includes a privately developed 19-story office tower and 102,000-square-foot expansion to the Charlotte Convention Center, highlighted by a 40,000-square-foot ballroom. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. For more information, visit nascarhall.com.

About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields one team in competition in the NASCAR premier series with driver Aric Almirola. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and Fresh From Florida. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.

Media Contacts:

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

NASCAR Hall of Fame
Kristen Moore
(704) 414-4184
kristen.moore@crva.com

Richard Petty Motorsports
Heather Lumpp
(704) 677-7056
hlumpp@rpm43.com