SMITHFIELD, Va., Dec. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Smithfield Foods distributed 7,300 free Smithfield Spiral Quarter Hams to brighten the holidays for individuals and families in the St. Charles, Illinois, area.

"The holiday season is a time of giving, so this was the perfect time for Smithfield to give back to our local community," said Ashton Williams, plant manager of Smithfield's St. Charles food-processing facility. "On behalf of our 2,000 employees in Illinois, we are honored to have the opportunity to share the spirit of the season with our neighbors in St. Charles."

Smithfield volunteers distributed more than 6,200 Smithfield Spiral Quarter Hams on a first-come, first-served basis at the event, which was held at Smithfield's St. Charles facility on Dec. 21. The remainder were donated to the St. Charles Fire Department, the St. Charles Police Department, Dekalb Fire and Rescue and Lazarus House, a homeless shelter in St. Charles, for distribution over the weekend.   

Since 2008, Smithfield's signature hunger relief program, Helping Hungry Homes®, has provided hundreds of millions of servings of protein all 50 U.S. states, as well as in Poland, Romania and Mexico. In 2022, Smithfield donated nearly 25 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs across the U.S. To reflect its continued commitment to fighting food insecurity, Smithfield has pledged to donate 200 million servings of protein by 2025.

For more information about Smithfield's programs to support local communities, please visit smithfieldfoods.com/helping-communities. 

About Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is a U.S. food company that employs nearly 60,000 people in seven countries and partners with thousands of American farmers. As one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies, we are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly.^®" to feed a growing world population. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in our U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30% across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs in all 50 U.S. states. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield^®, Eckrich^®, Gwaltney^® and Nathan's Famous^®, among many others. For more information, visit  www.smithfieldfoods.com and connect with us on Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Threads. 

SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.