SMITHFIELD, Va., Sept. 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield Foods, Inc. is donating 80,000 pounds of protein to Food Bank of the Albemarle, Lowcountry Food Bank, and Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina to support ongoing recovery efforts in the Carolinas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. The donation, equivalent to more than 320,000 servings, is part of Smithfield’s signature hunger-relief initiative, Helping Hungry Homes®, and will support immediate and ongoing recovery needs throughout the food banks’ combined 59 county service area.

“During times of increased need, protein is often difficult to keep stocked and readily available for the clients we serve,” said Pat Walker, president and CEO of Lowcountry Food Bank. “We’re thrilled to have partners like Smithfield support our mission to feed our coastal communities, especially when our area is at its most vulnerable.”

“Food Bank of the Albemarle would like to thank Smithfield Foods for this incredible donation of protein, which is one of the most requested and needed items year-round; especially during a disaster,” said Liz Reasoner, executive director of Food Bank of the Albemarle. “We also want to thank the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina for their support of our Food Bank during this crisis, and for sharing cooler space at their Greenville branch to hold some of the Smithfield donation for us. An estimated 8,000 lbs. of protein will nourish our communities that are suffering and rebuilding at this time, and we could not be more appreciative of all efforts to make this happen.”

“We’re grateful that the counties within our service area were not as badly impacted as we initially feared, and we are able to support the relief efforts in our eastern area, and those of our fellow food banks in the state,” said Carter Crain, director of food partnerships at the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. “Food Bank resources get stretched even further when disasters strike, and Smithfield’s generous donation of much-needed protein will help the impacted families immensely during this time of recovery.”

Hurricane Dorian caused power outages for nearly 200,000 homes and business in North and South Carolina with more than 365,000 Carolinians along the eastern seaboard called to evacuate. Additionally, the storm’s outer bands caused tornadoes in South Carolina and nearly eight inches of rain fall in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Smithfield has nearly 11,000 employees across eight facilities and more than 200 company-owned farms throughout the Carolinas.

“Our thoughts remain with those who were most severely impacted, and we are incredibly grateful for all first responders who are working tirelessly to help keep people safe,” said Jonathan Toms, associate manager of charitable initiatives for Smithfield Foods. “Strengthening the communities that we call home is at the core of our beliefs at Smithfield Foods, and we are proud to stand alongside our neighbors in this region as we work together to recover from this storm.”

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. Popular brands include 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 Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that has provided food for people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina for more than 35 years. The Food Bank serves a network of more than 800 partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults through warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, the Sandhills (Southern Pines), and Wilmington. In the fiscal year 2018-2019, the Food Bank distributed nearly 83 million pounds of food (over half of which was perishable) and non-food essentials through these agencies. Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. In these counties, almost 600,000 people struggle to access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for an active and healthy life. foodbankcenc.org.

About Food Bank of the Albemarle
The Mission of the Food Bank is to fight hunger and poverty in our 15-county service area in northeast North Carolina. We are a regional clearinghouse for the collection and distribution of food and grocery items to 100 hunger-relief partners operating 145 unique programs. Food Bank of the Albemarle serves Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties. For more information call (252) 335-4035 or visit www.afoodbank.org.

About Lowcountry Food Bank
The Lowcountry Food Bank serves the 10 coastal counties of South Carolina and distributed more than 30.5 million pounds of food in 2018. The Lowcountry Food Bank helps fight hunger by distributing food to nearly 300 partner agencies including soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and emergency food pantries. The Lowcountry Food Bank advocates on behalf of those who experience hunger and helps empower people to make healthy and nutritious food choices. For more information, go to the Lowcountry Food Bank website and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Media Contact:
Dalton Agency for Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Lauren Homrich
(480) 268-3253
lhomrich@daltonagency.com