SMITHFIELD, Va., June 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Smithfield Foods has donated $500,000 to fund SUN Bucks in North Carolina, a newly established, permanent USDA program that provides food assistance to children and families during the summer.

"Fighting food insecurity and hunger is a top priority for Smithfield," said Steve Evans, vice president, community development for Smithfield Foods. "We're humbled to do our part in the communities where we live and work so our neighbors can continue to access healthy and nutritious food throughout the summer when schools aren't in session."

Launching in summer 2024, SUN Bucks, also known as Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (Summer EBT), will be administered by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Families will receive $120 per eligible child on a pre-loaded SUN Bucks card they can use to purchase groceries, such as fruit, vegetables and protein, at retail locations currently accepting EBT.

"Good nutrition is the foundation for good health. The SUN Bucks program gives more than a million school children in North Carolina access to the healthy food they need to thrive this summer," said North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. "NCDHHS is grateful to Smithfield Foods for their contributions to SUN Bucks and for supporting our mission to improve health and well-being for all North Carolinians."

The SUN Bucks program is anticipated to feed nearly one million school-aged children in North Carolina this summer and have an estimated economic impact of $120 million.

Learn more about North Carolina's SUN Bucks program details and eligibility here.   

Smithfield's 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, since 2008. Smithfield donated nearly 28 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs across the U.S. in 2023 and 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 more than 54,000 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.