JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 14, 2018 -- Today, Smithfield Foods, Inc. joined forces with Winn-Dixie to donate more than 42,000 pounds of protein to Feeding Northeast Florida. Smithfield’s contribution is part of the company’s 2018 Helping Hungry Homes® tour. Now in its 10th year, Helping Hungry Homes® is Smithfield’s signature hunger-relief initiative focused on helping Americans become more food secure. The donation, equivalent to more than 170,000 servings, will help families fight hunger in northeast Florida.
 
“In Northeast Florida, more than 283,000 people are food insecure – meaning they don’t always know where their next meal will come from. It is estimated that of those, 81,000 are children,” said Feeding Northeast Florida interim CEO Frank Castillo. “This generous donation from Smithfield and Winn-Dixie will allow us to create thousands of meals for those struggling with hunger locally. Together, we are making great strides toward building a strong and healthy community.”
 
This significant donation provided by Smithfield and Winn-Dixie will provide protein to much of Feeding Northeast Florida’s expansive service area, which includes nearly 283,000 individuals in northeast Florida who face hunger each day. Smithfield and Winn-Dixie will partner for a second protein donation in Daytona Beach, Florida this Friday, Feb. 16.
 
“We are proud to partner with Smithfield for this donation to support communities along the First Coast with wholesome meals during times of need,” said Shawn Sloan, Winn-Dixie vice president of East Florida. “Through our combined efforts with Smithfield, we will continue to fight hunger nationwide. We look forward to helping our fellow neighbors in Central Florida later this week.”
 
This is the fourth large-scale protein donation made by Smithfield to food banks across the country during its 2018 Helping Hungry Homes® tour. Since the program’s inception in 2008, Smithfield has provided nearly 100 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts, and community outreach programs nationwide.
 
“With each donation stop, we hope to inspire others to do what they can to help end food insecurity for the more than 42 million Americans who face hunger each day,” said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. “We are proud to partner with Winn-Dixie to support our neighbors in need on the East Coast—one of many stops we will make across the country this year.”
 
For more information about Smithfield Foods’ Helping Hungry Homes® initiative 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®, Farmer John®, Kretschmar®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Gwaltney®, Carando®, Margherita®, Curly's®, Healthy Ones®, Morliny®, Krakus® 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 Feeding Northeast Florida
Feeding Northeast Florida (FNEFL) is establishing food security in eight area counties – Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns – through a partnership with 160 hunger-relief agencies including food pantries and faith-based organizations. A member of Feeding America, FNEFL rescues good, high-quality food to be distributed to neighbors in need. In 2017, FNEFL distributed more than 12.5 million meals. With an estimated 283,000 in Northeast Florida relying on area food pantries and charitable organizations for food assistance each year – a number that has not changed much since the 2008 recession – FNEFL’s mission is even more critical today. To learn more about Feeding Northeast Florida, visit feedingnefl.org.
 
About Winn-Dixie
Founded in 1925, Winn-Dixie grocery stores, liquor stores and in-store pharmacies serve communities throughout five southeastern states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is a subsidiary of Southeastern Grocers, which is one of the largest supermarket chains based in the Southeast. For more information, please visitwww.winndixie.com and www.segrocers.com. 
 
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