MONMOUTH, Ill., April 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield Foods, Inc. has donated more than 42,000 pounds of protein to River Bend Foodbank. 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 168,000 servings, will help families fight hunger in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.

“Protein is almost always the food item most in demand and shortest in supply,” said Michael Miller, president and CEO of River Bend Foodbank. “As such, we are so thankful to Smithfield Foods and their Helping Hungry Homes® program. They are great donors providing food that is very much in need.”

This is the 18th large-scale protein donation made by Smithfield to food banks across the country during its 2019 Helping Hungry Homes® donation 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.

“As a food company with employees throughout this area, we care a great deal about giving back to our neighbors in need,” said Jonathan Toms, associate manager of charitable initiatives for Smithfield Foods. “We hope this donation will help support the food bank’s incredible efforts in these local communities and encourage others to get involved in the fight against hunger.”

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 River Bend Foodbank
The Foodbank is the largest hunger relief organization in the Quad Cities and surrounding communities, having distributed over 15.1 million meals in 2018 to hungry people in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. Our mission is to lead the community-wide effort to end hunger in Iowa and Illinois. We do this through food distribution in partnership with our 300 agencies as well as our Mobile Pantries, Senior Pantries, School Pantries, and Backpack Program. The best and easiest way to help is to go online: visit us at riverbendfoodbank.org.  

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