LOWELL, Ark., Oct. 05, 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 Walmart to donate more than 37,000 pounds of protein to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. The donation, equivalent to more than 150,000 servings, will help those fighting hunger across Northwest Arkansas, where one in four individuals are food insecure.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/85069dd6-7a78-4a89-9a7e-1eae1857ef29

"We're thrilled to welcome Smithfield Foods and the Helping Hungry Homes team for the fourth time this year," said Kent Eikenberry, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. "With today's donation, we've received more than 550,000 servings of Smithfield protein that allows us to better provide the area we serve with food assistance. It's an unbelievable amount of support that we couldn't appreciate more."

Smithfield and Walmart representatives presented the donation to Northwest Arkansas Food Bank this morning 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 70,000 individuals who face hunger in Northwest Arkansas. Attendees enjoyed the event with Smithfield fresh pork samples prepared by local restaurant owner, Jordan Poole, of Big Rub BBQ and a special guest appearance from world-champion pitmaster, Darren Warth of Iowa's Smokey D's.

Smithfield's donation to Northwest Arkansas 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.

"Smithfield is honored to be back in Northwest Arkansas to offer the community our continued support," said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. "As a global food company, we value our responsibility to respond to those in need of hunger relief with nutritious protein. Our fourth visit to Lowell this year puts us one donation closer to our goal of ending hunger across the country."

Following today's event, Helping Hungry Homes® will visit Norfolk, VA, Tuesday, Oct. 10. 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 Northwest Arkansas Food Bank
Northwest Arkansas Food Bank was established in 1988 by a group of concerned citizens who saw the need for hunger assistance in Northwest Arkansas. Over the past 28 years, the Food Bank has grown to serve citizens of Benton, Washington, Madison, and Carroll counties, a commitment still strong today. Each year, the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank distributes over 11.5 million pounds of food in Benton, Washington, Madison, and Carroll counties. It is through partnerships with well over 160 member agencies that we are able to reach out to those in need. The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank is an affiliate of Feeding America.

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, over 260 million customers and members visit our 11,723 stores under 59 banners in 28 countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2017 revenue of $485.9 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.

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