LAS VEGAS, March 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Albertsons joined forces to donate more than 40,000 pounds of protein to Three Square Food Bank. Smithfield’s contribution was part of the company’s 2019 Helping Hungry Homes® donation tour. Helping Hungry Homes® is Smithfield’s signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donation, equivalent to more than 169,000 servings, will help families fight hunger across Southern Nevada.

“One in eight people in Southern Nevada is struggling with hunger, including more than 103,000 children,” says Michelle Beck, chief development officer with Three Square Food Bank. “Our mission of providing wholesome food to hungry people, while passionately pursuing a hunger-free community would not be possible without the support of partners like Smithfield Foods and Albertsons. We are incredibly thankful for the support provided at this community celebration.”

Representatives from Smithfield and Albertsons presented the donation to Three Square Food Bank at a community celebration and grand opening event at the new Albertsons Las Vegas store location this morning. Members of each organization discussed food insecurity in the local community and the significance of this donation, which will provide protein throughout the food bank’s service area, reaching food insecure individuals across Southern Nevada.

“At Smithfield, we’re committed to supporting community vitality from coast-to-coast,” says Jonathan Toms, associate manager of charitable initiatives for Smithfield Foods. “As part of our social purpose, we deliver on this commitment through donations from our Helping Hungry Homes® program, as well as the initiatives led by our family of brands, to those in need across the country. We are proud to do this today for our Nevada neighbors in need with such a great community-focused event and our partners.”

In addition to Smithfield’s large-scale protein donation, Albertsons presented more than $50,000 in community grants to 15 local organizations to support musical arts, athletics, healthcare, special needs, and education in the local area. Eckrich®, a brand of Smithfield Foods, supplemented Albertsons’ donations to local schools with a $6,000 contribution as a part of their commitment to support education in the community.

“Giving back to the community is part of the Eckrich brand heritage, and we are excited for the opportunity to continue this tradition through the donations made today,” said Elizabeth Di John, director of marketing for Smithfield Foods. “We are proud to support these local schools and teachers by enabling their positive impact on the community.”

“Albertsons is thrilled to expand its ability to serve the residents of Las Vegas and are proud to present these donations to our local community,” said Shane Dorcheus, executive vice president and president of the Southwest Division for Albertsons, Safeway and Vons. “We’re fortunate to unveil this brand-new location alongside fantastic community-focused partners who support our efforts to give back.”

To officially open the new Albertsons Las Vegas store location, partners hosted a community celebration which included a ribbon-cutting event, musical entertainment from country recording artist Ben Rue, secured by Eckrich, as well as presentations from Centennial High School including the ROTC, choir, cheer squad, marching band, and orchestra student organizations.

This is the sixth large-scale protein donation made by Smithfield to food banks across the country during its 2019 Helping Hungry Homes® tour. Since the program’s inception in 2008, Smithfield has provided more than 120 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts, and community outreach programs nationwide.

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

About Eckrich 
Founded by Peter Eckrich in 1894, Eckrich has a rich heritage starting from a small meat market in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to one of the most recognized regional premium deli and meat brands on the market today. Through it all, Eckrich meats have been recognized for their great taste and supreme quality, craftsmanship, care and pride. For more information, visit www.eckrich.com. Eckrich is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Three Square Food Bank
Established in 2007 to provide hunger relief, Three Square Food Bank offers wholesome, nutritious food to nonprofit and faith-based organizations, schools and feeding sites that serve a wide range of Southern Nevadans. A national model project inspired by Founder Eric Hilton with a grant provided by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Three Square is a community collaborative partnership with businesses, nonprofit agencies, food distributors, higher education institutions, the Clark County School District, governmental entities, the media and thousands of volunteers to efficiently and effectively work together to serve those in our community struggling with hunger. Three Square currently provides more than 39 million meals – the equivalent of more than 47 million pounds of food and grocery product – per year through a network of nearly 1,400 community partners. Three Square is a member of the Feeding America network of food banks. For additional information visit threesquare.org. For the latest news and events on Three Square, visit Facebook and follow them on Instagram and Twitter (@threesquarelv).

About Albertsons Companies
Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with both a strong local presence and national scale. We operate stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs, as well as meal kit company Plated based in New York City. Albertsons Companies is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2018 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the company gave nearly $300 million in food and financial support. These efforts helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities and veterans outreach.

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c017c06e-b377-4ef0-94ab-3dd2631fd209