SAINT PAUL, Minn.– May 29, 2018 – Smithfield Foods, Inc. donated more than 33,000 pounds of protein to Second Harvest Heartland as 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 135,000 servings, will help families fight hunger in Minnesota.
 
“All people deserve to eat, and thanks to Smithfield, we can continue to connect resources with community members in our neighborhoods,” said Rob Zeaske, CEO of Second Harvest Heartland. “We won’t stop working until every hungry person in our area has the food they need to thrive.”
 
This significant donation from Smithfield will provide protein to the more than 532,000 individuals who face hunger in Second Harvest Heartland’s service area, which includes more than 50 counties across Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin.
 
This is the 25th large-scale protein donation made by Smithfield to food banks across the country during the company’s 2018 Helping Hungry Homes® tour. Since the program’s inception in 2008, Smithfield has provided more than 100 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts, and community outreach programs nationwide.
 
“At Smithfield Foods, we are committed to providing nutritional support to food banks like Second Harvest Heartland in our efforts to eliminate the prevalent issue of food insecurity across America,” said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. “As a food company, we are proud that this donation will provide hunger relief in Minnesota and western Wisconsin to families, children, and senior citizens, while also raising awareness of a common issue people face every day.”
 
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 Heartland
Second Harvest Heartland is one of the largest, most efficient and most innovative hunger relief organizations in the nation. In close partnership with nearly 1,000 food shelves, food pantries and other meal programs, Second Harvest Heartland helps the one in ten people in Minnesota and western Wisconsin who face hunger every day. On average, 74 percent of food our partner agencies distribute comes from Second Harvest Heartland. In 2017, Second Harvest Heartland helped provide record 81 million meals to more than a half million people. We will continue to leverage our unique position in the emergency food chain to advocate, educate and provide food until everyone in our service area has what they need to thrive. For more information, visit 2harvest.org or call 651.484.5117.
 
 
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