DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, in celebration of the upcoming Daytona race, Smithfield Foods, Inc. joined forces with Winn-Dixie to donate more than 40,000 pounds of protein to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Assisting with the donation was Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, along with his team owner, three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.

Smithfield's contribution is part of the company's 2018 Helping Hungry Homes® tour. Now in the program's 10th year, Helping Hungry Homes® is Smithfield's signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. Smithfield's donation, equivalent to more than 160,000 servings of protein, will help individuals in need across Central Florida.

"Protein is a difficult resource to obtain for our food bank and the one in six individuals facing hunger throughout our area," said Greg Higgerson, vice president of development for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. "We are thankful for this large-scale donation led by Smithfield and its partners, that will ensure those we serve receive nutrient-rich meals for weeks to come."

Smithfield, Winn-Dixie and Stewart-Haas Racing representatives presented the donation to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida at a local Winn-Dixie this morning. Members of all three organizations discussed food insecurity in the local community and the significance of this donation. The donation will provide protein to much of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida's expansive service area, which includes nearly 500,000 individuals who face hunger each day.

"Winn-Dixie is proud of our long-standing relationship with Smithfield and the Helping Hungry Homes campaign," said Shawn Sloan, Winn-Dixie vice president of East Florida. "We know many families in our community are in need of nutritious food and it's important to us to support Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida through our official partnership with Feeding America, and with Smithfield to help fight hunger in the communities we serve."

This is the fifth 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.

"It's truly a privilege to stand yet again with Smithfield and Winn-Dixie in the fight against hunger," said Almirola. "I'm especially honored to drive the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion here in Daytona—a community that means so much to me—while we celebrate a decade of donations. Together, we're on the road to end hunger."

"As a global food company, we take great pride in our responsibility to provide high-quality protein to our neighbors in need," said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. "We are proud to partner again with Winn-Dixie and provide Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida with a plentiful donation of wholesome protein to the 16 counties the food bank serves."

This event is also part of Smithfield's "Road to Daytona", a 10-day celebration spanning North Carolina to Florida to commemorate Aric Almirola's new role as the driver of the No. 10 car and mark the start to the 2018 racing season. The program aims to reward fans both on-site and online leading up to the big race. As part of the program and as a way to say thank you to the local Daytona community, following this morning's donation event, Smithfield offered fans a chance to race against Almirola and Stewart in realistic racing simulators to see if they had what it takes to defeat the pros. The first 10 fans to beat the drivers' times walked away with bragging rights and premium prizes.

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 Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
SHFBCF is a member of Feeding America — the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. SHFBCF secures and distributes food and grocery products to approximately 550 local nonprofit feeding programs throughout Central Florida. Last year, with the help of food and financial donors, volunteers and a caring, committed community, the food bank distributed 52 million meals to partner programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, women's shelters, senior centers, day care centers and Kids Cafes. In addition, Second Harvest's 14-week culinary program teaches foodservice-based technical, life and employability skills to economically hard-pressed adults. Our community turns to Second Harvest's partner agencies more than 71,000 times per week. To learn more about SHFBCF, visit www.FeedHopeNow.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 visit www.winndixie.com and www.segrocers.com. 

About Stewart-Haas Racing:
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation — the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The organization fields four entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series — the No. 4 Ford Fusion for Kevin Harvick, the No. 10 Ford Fusion for Aric Almirola, the No. 14 Ford Fusion for Clint Bowyer and the No. 41 Ford Fusion for Kurt Busch. The team also competes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series by fielding a full-time entry — the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Cole Custer — and one part-time entry — the No. 98 Ford Mustang. Based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Stewart-Haas Racing operates out of a 200,000-square-foot facility with nearly 370 employees. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

Media Contacts:

True Speed Communication for Stewart Haas Racing
Lauren Emling
(704) 885-4267
Lauren.Emling@TrueSpeedCommunication.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dcb0a5b6-207b-4a17-b78c-2c20ae5b55bc