Smithfield and Minneapolis Football Star Kyle Rudolph Donate More Than 60,000 Pounds of Protein to Second Harvest Heartland Food Bank
Smithfield’s Nationwide “Helping Hungry Homes” Tour Partners with CUB To Provide More Than 240,000 Servings to Minneapolis Families
MINNEAPOLIS, July 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield and Minneapolis football star Kyle Rudolph donated more than 60,000 pounds of protein to the Second Harvest Heartland food bank today, as part of Smithfield’s 17th stop on its nationwide Helping Hungry Homes tour. Smithfield partnered with CUB to make this considerable contribution of more than 240,000 servings of protein. The donation will help serve the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul community, where 10 percent of households suffer from hunger.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8146e6be-0079-42c3-9cd1-b2a3e894f37b
Kyle Rudolph joined representatives from Smithfield and CUB to present the donation to Second Harvest Heartland on Tuesday, July 12 at 11:00 a.m., discussing the importance of donations like this in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul region and raising 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, as part of an effort to raise awareness about the necessity of providing assistance to individuals and families in need, 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.
“I’m very proud to partner with Smithfield for the 17th stop of its Helping Hungry Homes tour to provide this donation of 60,000 pounds of protein to Second Harvest Heartland,” said Kyle Rudolph. “Since the start of my professional career, the Minneapolis community has supported me wholeheartedly, so I’m excited to take this opportunity to give back and help provide more than 240,000 servings to help alleviate hunger in the area.”
“We are so appreciative of this generous donation, in particular because it is protein,” said Rob Zeaske, CEO of Second Harvest Heartland. “Protein is so important to include in a healthy diet to help maintain muscle and promote proper healing. We are thankful for the support of our community partners like CUB and Smithfield Foods, without whom we cannot meet this need.”
“Fighting hunger in the communities where we do business is a top priority for us,” said Eric Hymas, president of CUB. “We appreciate the partnership of our longtime supplier, Smithfield, on helping our neighbors in need through the great work of Second Harvest Heartland.”
“We are proud to partner with Kyle Rudolph and CUB to present Second Harvest Heartland with this donation through our Helping Hungry Homes program,” said Dennis Pittman, Smithfield senior director of corporate communications and public affairs. “As a food company, we believe it’s our responsibility to support our local communities. Through this donation, we are proud to provide wholesome protein to families and individuals in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area.”
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®, Healthy Ones®, Krakus®, Morliny®, 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 Heartland
Second Harvest Heartland is one of the nation’s largest, most efficient and most innovative food banks. In 2015, our work provided more than 77 million meals to nearly 1,000 food shelves, pantries and other partner programs serving 59 counties in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Second Harvest Heartland helps relieve hunger not only by sourcing, warehousing and distributing food, but through data-driven thought leadership and community partnerships that help improve the region’s larger hunger relief system. For more information, visit 2harvest.org or call 651.484.5117.
About CUB
CUB, based in Stillwater, Minn., was established in 1968 as one of the nation’s first discount grocery stores. The organization was purchased in 1980 by SUPERVALU and currently operates 79 stores in Minnesota and Illinois that offer customers fresh produce, a wide selection, and food expertise throughout the stores to meet their everyday grocery needs. As the hometown grocer for over 48 years, CUB has made it a priority to be a good corporate citizen by helping to create healthy and thriving communities that enhance the quality of life for its customers, employees, and neighbors. For company news and information, follow us on Twitter at @CubFoods and Facebook at www.facebook.com/Cub, or visit our website at www.Cub.com.
Media Contacts: Hunter PR for Smithfield Elisabeth Garcia (212) 679-6600 egarcia@hunterpr.com Second Harvest Heartland Mary Sutherland (651) 209-7913 msutherland@2harvest.org CUB Jeff Swanson (952) 903-1645 Jeffrey.S.Swanson@supervalu.com
