SMITHFIELD, Va., Oct. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier today, Pure Farmland^™ recognized Raleigh City Farm in Raleigh, N.C. and its positive impact in the community through a check donation of $10,000. The endowment is part of the 2020 Pure Growth Project, an initiative launched by Pure Farmland earlier this year to ensure community gardens and farms continue to thrive, and to help increase the availability of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables nationwide. Raleigh City Farm was selected as a 2020 grant recipient to support its commitment to reducing waste, creating healthier communities, and reconnecting city-dwellers with healthy food production through more frequent encounters with agriculture.

After receiving 167 applications from community gardens and farms across 31 states, 50 organizations were carefully selected to receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $20,000, providing a total of $100,000 in financial support to nurture these unique neighborhood spaces.

Pure Farmland joined Raleigh City Farm to celebrate the urban farm's achievements and highlight the important impact their hard work has on the neighborhood. The event included a check presentation for $10,000 to upfit and operationalize an on-site greenhouse and expand partnerships with local non-profits. Raleigh City Farm is increasing the impact of its mission by producing more healthy food year-round that will be shared with community members who are food insecure. The local Raleigh farm is applauded for its commitment to enhancing community access to healthy, nutrient dense vegetables and sharing excess produce with nonprofit partners like A Place at the Table, fulfilling its mission even during these uncertain times.

"During this challenging year, Raleigh City Farm, with the help of our dedicated network of volunteers, harvested more than 2,000 pounds of produce from April to September and shared more than 300 pounds with non-profits addressing food insecurity," said Lisa Grele Barrie, executive director for Raleigh City Farm. "We are grateful for this grant from Pure Farmland that will allow us to set higher goals and feed more of our community. We will carefully steward this investment to maximize its impact."

"Pure Farmland is honored to present this grant to Raleigh City Farm whose mission is to grow the next generation of farmers by connecting their community to sustainable agriculture," said Erin Thacker, MA, RDN, brand manager for Pure Farmland. "It is part of the Pure Growth Project's fervent mission to increase the availability of locally-sourced, sustainable produce, so we are proud to collaborate with Raleigh City Farm to grow our impact together."

For more information, please visit pure-farmland.com/impact/. Pure Farmland is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Pure Farmland^™
Pure Farmland^™ is a maker of high-quality, plant-based protein products, such as breakfast links and patties, burger patties, meatballs, pre-seasoned protein starters, and dinner links and serves retail customers. Pure Farmland products are proudly crafted in the USA with soy protein, coconut oil, natural flavors, are gluten and dairy free, and serve as a good source of protein. To learn more about Pure Farmland, please visit www.Pure-Farmland.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Pure Farmland is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 40,000 U.S. and 15,000 European employees are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly.^®" and have made us one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including many industry firsts, such as our ambitious commitment to cut our carbon impact by 25 percent by 2025. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our neighbors in need. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield^®, Eckrich^® and Nathan's Famous^®, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Raleigh City Farm
Raleigh City Farm is a non-profit urban farm founded in 2011 on a formerly vacant one-acre lot at the corner of Franklin and Blount Streets in Raleigh, North Carolina. Their mission is to grow the next generation of farmers by connecting their community to sustainable agriculture. Learn more at www.raleighcityfarm.org and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. 

SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.