SMITHFIELD, Va., Sept. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Smithfield Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Smithfield Foods, Inc., is pleased to announce a $16,000 donation to Inter-Faith Food Shuttle to support its school pantry program. The Food Shuttle, a non-profit member organization of the Feeding America National Network of Food Banks, operates 25 school pantries in Wake, Durham, Edgecombe, and Johnston counties in North Carolina, providing nutritious food to more than 2,000 students and their families each month.

“We are delighted that Smithfield Foods is partnering with Inter-Faith Food Shuttle to support our school pantry program, which provides a welcoming and convenient space for students to access nutritious food,” said Dave Koch, president and chief executive officer of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. “With their support, we can continue to increase food access for the one-in-five children in North Carolina at risk of hunger.”

The food pantry program is often run by student volunteers, helping to lessen the negative stigma of needing food assistance, and learning the valuable lesson of helping others in need.  A student can grab a snack or quick meal during the school day, and choose from a balanced selection of shelf-stable food, fresh produce, and protein to help feed their family.

Smithfield is dedicated to leading as a good neighbor in the communities where its employees live and work. The company’s donation will fund the school pantry program at Enloe High School in Raleigh, North Edgecombe High School in Tarboro, and Neal Middle School in Durham for the 2018-2019 school year.

“Smithfield is passionate about our social purpose of hunger relief, especially in the communities we call home,” said Keira Lombardo, senior vice president of corporate affairs for Smithfield Foods and president of the Smithfield Foundation. “On behalf of our more than 10,000 employees here in the state of North Carolina, we are proud to help Inter-Faith Food Shuttle provide students with the resources they need to be successful, starting with high-quality, healthy food.”

For more information about Smithfield’s charitable efforts, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com/key-outreach-efforts/smithfield-foundation.

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, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

About the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle pioneers innovative, transformative solutions designed to end hunger in our community. As a member of Feeding America, the Food Shuttle distributes nearly 6 million pounds of food per year, 35% of which is fresh produce. From BackPack Buddies and School Pantries; Community Health Education and Mobile Markets; Catering and Culinary Job Training; to Urban Gardening and a 10-Acre Farm; we go directly to the point of need to empower people. We feed, teach and grow to create a healthy and hunger-free North Carolina.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5e1e4808-a179-4e9a-954e-267a9fadfd06

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