Smithfield Foods Donates More Than 42,000 Pounds of Protein

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., July 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Publix joined forces to donate more than 42,000 pounds of protein to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida Smithfield’s contribution was part of the company’s 2018 Helping Hungry Homes ^® donation tour. Now in the program’s 10 ^th year, Helping Hungry Homes ^® is Smithfield’s signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donation, equivalent to more than 171,000 servings, will help families fight hunger across central Florida. 

“‘Fighting hunger, feeding hope’ is more than a slogan—it’s our driving force to meet unmet needs in our community,” said Gregg Higgerson, vice president for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, said. “With donations from Smithfield, we can provide much-needed nutrition to families who don’t always know where their next meal will come from.”

Smithfield and Publix representatives presented the donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida at an event at a local Publix this morning. Members of the organizations discussed food insecurity in the local community and the significance of this donation, which will provide protein throughout the food bank’s service area, including six counties in Florida. 

“At Publix, we believe in sharing hope and spreading love to those fighting hunger in our communities,” said Dwaine Stevens Media & Community Relations Manager for Publix Orlando Region. “We are proud to partner with Smithfield and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, and of the work we can do together to fight hunger in Florida.”

In anticipation of the Coke Zero 400, Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, assisted with the donation presentation.

"For several years, I’ve had the honor of being a part of the Helping Hungry Homes ^® team to take action and raise awareness of food-insecurity across America," said Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing. "I am proud to be back in my home state helping my fellow Floridians fight hunger."

This is the 35 ^th large scale protein donation made by Smithfield to food banks across the country during its 2018 Helping Hungry Homes ^® tour. Since the program’s inception in 2008, Smithfield has provided more than 100 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts, and community outreach programs nationwide.

“At Smithfield, we recognize our unique ability as a food company to provide hunger-relief across the country,” said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. “By partnering with Publix and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, we can use our collective efforts to serve nutritious meals to the one in six people who face hunger in Central Florida every day.”   

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

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 .

About Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida SHFBCF is a member of Feeding America – the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. SHFBCF secures and distributes food and grocery products to approximately 550 local nonprofit feeding programs throughout Central Florida. Last year, with the help of food and financial donors, volunteers and a caring, committed community, the food bank distributed 56 million meals to partner programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, women’s shelters, senior centers, day care centers and Kids Cafes. In addition, Second Harvest’s 18-week culinary program teaches food service-based technical, life and employability skills to economically hard-pressed adults. Second Harvest is distributing enough food to feed 48,000 people a day. To learn more about SHFBCF, visit  www.FeedHopeNow.org .

About Publix Publix is privately owned and operated by its more than 190,000 employees, with 2017 sales of $34.6 billion. Currently, Publix has 1,186 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. The company has been named one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for 21 consecutive years. In addition, Publix’s dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized among the top in the grocery business. For more information, visit the company’s website, corporate.publix.com.

About Stewart-Haas Racing: Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation — the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The organization fields four entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series — the No. 4 Ford Fusion for Kevin Harvick, the No. 10 Ford Fusion for Aric Almirola, the No. 14 Ford Fusion for Clint Bowyer and the No. 41 Ford Fusion for Kurt Busch. The team also competes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series by fielding a full-time entry — the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Cole Custer — and one part-time entry — the No. 98 Ford Mustang. Based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Stewart-Haas Racing operates out of a 200,000-square-foot facility with nearly 370 employees. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com , on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing , on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/Attachm...025a0fad89