Smithfield’s Nationwide “Helping Hungry Homes” Tour Visits Cincinnati to Donate More Than 25,000 Pounds of Protein to the Freestore Foodbank
Smithfield Partners with Kroger and Richard Petty Motorsports to Provide More Than 100,000 Servings to Greater Cincinnati Community
CINCINNATI, July 07, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes program made the 15th stop on its 2016 nationwide hunger-relief tour this morning to donate more than 25,000 pounds of much-needed protein, a nutritional resource often hard to come by for food banks, to the Freestore Foodbank. The donation will provide more than 100,000 servings and help the food bank continue to provide meals to more than 285,000 people suffering from hunger in Greater Cincinnati.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ab07c45-0112-49d6-b4f5-d6615aba81fb
Smithfield partnered with Kroger and Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) to present the donation to the Freestore Foodbank during an event on Thursday, July 7 at the Freestore Foodbank’s Mayerson Distribution Center, located at 1250 Tennessee Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45229. Speakers discussed the importance of donations like these in Greater Cincinnati, where one in six people suffer from hunger.
RPM No. 43 driver Aric Almirola, who has partnered with the Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes program to donate thousands of pounds of protein over recent years, was present to discuss the importance of these donations from Smithfield and to raise awareness about the necessity of providing assistance to our neighbors in need.
Helping Hungry Homes, now in its eighth year, is Smithfield’s coast-to-coast program to help Americans become more food secure. This year, the program will help fight hunger through more than 30 large-scale protein donations to food banks across the United States totaling more than 3.5 million servings. To date, Helping Hungry Homes has provided more than 39 million servings of protein to food banks across America.
“Hunger affects people you see every day,” said Kurt Reiber, Freestore Foodbank president and CEO. “An unexpected illness, injury, car repair or life change can put a self-sufficient person at risk of hunger. We truly appreciate the continued support of Smithfield Foods as we work to serve our hungry neighbors in the community. This generous donation will help nourish local children and families who don't have enough to eat. We are thankful for this partnership as we work together to solve hunger.”
“Kroger is proud to partner with Smithfield to help our neighbors in need,” said Tim Brown, Kroger Cincinnati/Dayton division president and Freestore Foodbank board member. “This protein donation to the Freestore Foodbank comes when kids are home more during the summer. This will definitely go a long way to help ensure that those in need won’t go hungry.”
“Smithfield is excited to partner with Kroger and RPM to provide Freestore Foodbank with this donation through our Helping Hungry Homes program,” said Dennis Pittman, Smithfield senior director of corporate communications and public affairs. “We often hear from food banks that protein is one of the harder, more expensive nutritional resources for them to obtain in order to provide a balanced diet for their clients, so we are proud to meet this need with wholesome protein for families and individuals throughout the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area.”
“Richard Petty Motorsports is honored to participate in this donation leading up to Kentucky race weekend,” said Almirola. “So many race fans are loyal customers of Smithfield and shop at Kroger, so it’s great to see the two organizations partnering to give back to the communities that support them, and our race team, throughout the year.”
About Smithfield
A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the “Ham Capital of the World.” From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield's products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.
About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $14 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®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Kretschmar®, Gwaltney®, Curly's®, Margherita®, Carando® and Healthy Ones®. 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 Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Aric Almirola and Brian Scott. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and the “Fresh From Florida” campaign. Scott will make his debut with the team and drive the Petty Family No. 44 Ford. Albertsons Companies, Shore Lodge, Twisted Tea and GoBowling.com will join Scott as he competes for Rookie of the Year in his first full-time season in the Sprint Cup Series. Richard Petty Motorsports will also field the No. 43 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
About Kroger
Kroger Cincinnati/Dayton Division employs more than 20,000 associates who serve customers in 109 supermarkets (including 16 Marketplace stores), warehouses and offices in the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Eastern Indiana, and Dayton areas. With more than 3,000 groups participating in the Division’s Community Rewards Program, $4 million was donated back to local non-profit organizations in 2015. The division focuses its charitable efforts on hunger relief, health and wellness initiatives, child welfare and grass roots organizations. For more information about Kroger, please visit www.kroger.com.
About Freestore Foodbank
The Freestore Foodbank is the largest emergency food and services provider to children and families in Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana. The organization distributes more than 20 million meals annually to low-income individuals and families. The Freestore Foodbank supports more than 250 community partners in 20 counties throughout Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, including food kitchens, homeless shelters, emergency food pantries and social service centers. By providing emergency food distribution, the Freestore Foodbank responds to the issue of poverty and food insecurity in our community and provides an array of services (emergency clothing, housing services, SNAP assistance, Medicaid outreach and others) aimed at creating self-reliance. The Freestore Foodbank is a charter member of Feeding America. Visit www.freestorefoodbank.org for more information.
Media Contacts: Hunter PR for Smithfield Elisabeth Garcia (212) 679-6600 egarcia@hunterpr.com Richard Petty Motorsports Heather Lumpp (847) 302-5509 hlumpp@rpm43.com Kroger Jennifer Lien (513) 782-3533 jennifer.lien@kroger.com Freestore Foodbank Sarah Cook (513) 482-4502 scook@freestorefoodbank.org
