SMITHFIELD, Va., Feb. 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Smithfield Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Smithfield Foods, Inc., is pleased to announce a $20,000 donation to The Opportunities for Children to Help Others (OCHO) Project: Read for a Need, an organization that focuses on character building and literary-based service learning. This donation adds to the more than $60,000 Smithfield has donated to The OCHO Project since 2011, where 100 percent of monetary contributions are used directly for the purchase of books for the program.

“We are so grateful that Smithfield has chosen to once again contribute to The OCHO Project. Through their support, thousands of children in need have received books to increase their reading skills and develop a love of reading,” said Marilyn Perlyn, creator of The OCHO Project. “The OCHO Project has provided over 85,000 books for children from Alaska to Florida and this new grant will keep books in the hands of young children in need!”

Children participating in The OCHO Project build upon their reading skills, develop a love of reading, and participate in character education curriculum. Students are exposed to local and global issues related to literacy, and are encouraged, through academic reading activities, to earn points to use at a book fair for kids who have few or no books of their own.

“We have been proud to contribute to The OCHO Project for the past eight years,” said Keira Lombardo, executive vice president of corporate affairs and compliance for Smithfield Foods, and president of the Smithfield Foundation. “Education is one of our core focus areas for giving, as we believe it has the power to dramatically strengthen communities over the long term. The OCHO Project is a great resource for children across the country, and we are pleased to continue to support their development through a love of reading.”

To learn more about Smithfield’s commitment to education, visit smithfieldfoods.com/helpingcommunities.

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, LinkedIn, and Instagram.  

About The OCHO Project
The OCHO Project is a character building and literary-based service-learning program that is dedicated to exposing children to the joys of reading while teaching them that, through reading, they can help others less fortunate than themselves. OCHO stands for Opportunities for Children to Help Others. The prime objective of the program is to have students read not only to expand their own knowledge but also to help “earn” books for their fellow students who have few or no books of their own. Students will “serve” and “learn” while building character values. Students are able to apply knowledge in real world settings by learning both inside and outside of the classroom.