PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield Foods' Helping Hungry Homes® initiative, a program focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure, joined forces with WinCo Foods to donate more than 40,000 pounds of protein to Oregon Food Bank. The donation, equivalent to more than 170,000 servings, will help those fighting hunger across Oregon and Clark County, Washington, where one in five individuals are food insecure.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c1411aca-fb5e-498f-bbff-6b3b156e53f4

"We are thankful to Smithfield for this donation of high-quality protein to Oregon Food Bank and its partner agencies," said Diane Letson, director of retail partnerships for Feeding America. "This donation will ensure that many families are able to eat balanced, nutritious meals."

Smithfield and WinCo representatives presented the donation to Oregon Food Bank at an event that raised awareness of hunger's impact in the local community. Members from all three organizations discussed the significance of protein donations in helping the more than 270,000 individuals who seek support from Oregon Food Bank and its partners each month.

"With teamwork at the heart of our company, WinCo believes in banding together to give something great to the community," said Noah Fleisher, director of corporate communications at WinCo Foods. "We are thrilled to partner with Smithfield through this donation, which will truly make a positive impact on the lives of residents across Oregon and Clark County, Washington."

Smithfield's donation to Oregon Food Bank was a part of the Helping Hungry Homes® 2017 nationwide donation tour. Throughout the annual tour, Smithfield will provide large-scale protein donations to nearly 60 food banks across the country. This donation adds to the more than 65 million servings of protein donated since 2011.

"We are honored to continue our active role in the fight against hunger and provide this resource to Oregon Food Bank," said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. "It is our hope that by providing these donations of wholesome protein, we will keep the dinner plates and hearts of those we serve full for weeks to come."

Following this event, Helping Hungry Homes® will visit Lowell, AR, Thursday, Oct. 5. For more information about Helping Hungry Homes® and a list of upcoming donation events, visit helpinghungryhomes.com.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 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 Oregon Food Bank
Oregon Food Bank works to eliminate hunger and its root causes... because no one should be hungry. Oregon Food Bank believes that hunger starves the human spirit, communities thrive when people are nourished, and everyone deserves healthy and fresh food. Oregon Food Bank helps feed the human spirit of 1 in 5 households through a food distribution network of four Oregon Food Bank branches and 17 regional food banks serving Oregon and Clark County, Washington. Oregon Food Bank also leads statewide efforts to increase resources for hungry families and to eliminate the root causes of hunger through public policy, local food systems work, nutrition and garden education, health care screening and innovative programming. Find out how to feed the human spirit at oregonfoodbank.org.

About WinCo Foods
WinCo Foods is a family of 118 employee-owned stores, with its own distribution and transportation network. The company can trace its beginnings back to 1967 and a discount warehouse grocery store in Boise, Idaho under the name of Waremart. The company operated stores under the names of Waremart Food Centers and Cub Foods until 1999 when it changed its storefront name and the corporate name to WinCo Foods, which stands for Winning Company. WinCo Foods became employee owned in 1985. WinCo Foods currently has about 17,000 employees and operates throughout Washington, Idaho, Nevada, California, Oregon, Utah, Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma.

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