DAVENPORT, Iowa, May 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield Foods, Inc. has donated more than 42,000 pounds of protein to River Bend Foodbank to support those affected by recent flooding in Davenport, Iowa and surrounding communities. The donation, equivalent to more than 168,000 servings was part of Smithfield’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.

“This donation comes at a time of great need for the residents in our 23-county service area,” said Michael Miller, president and chief executive officer of River Bend Foodbank. “Smithfield has enabled us to continue to provide much-needed protein to those who have been affected by flooding throughout our region, and we are grateful for their swift response to support our disaster relief efforts.”

This is the 23rd 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 130 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts, and community outreach programs nationwide.

“With more than 7,000 employees throughout Iowa and Illinois, our hearts break for those affected by the flooding,” said Jonathan Toms, associate manager of charitable initiatives for Smithfield Foods. “We are passionate about leading the fight against hunger and making sure the communities we call home are supported. We are humbled to contribute this donation of protein during this time of need.”

For more information about Smithfield Foods’ Helping Hungry Homes® initiative and a list of upcoming donation events, visit helpinghungryhomes.com.

For more information about River Bend Foodbank and to learn how to donate, visit riverbendfoodbank.org.

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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