SMITHFIELD, Va., Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Smithfield Foods, in partnership with Price Chopper, donated more than 32,000 pounds of food to Harvesters—The Community Food Network in Kansas City, to fight hunger in local communities.
The donation, which included ham, smoked sausage, pork chops and other Smithfield products, will provide over 130,000 servings of protein to individuals facing food insecurity in a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas. Following the donation, team members from Smithfield’s Kansas City, Martin City and Princeton, Missouri, operations volunteered at Harvesters, packing more than 600 bags for the food bank’s BackSnack program.
“As a food company, we are passionate about giving back to support our neighbors facing food insecurity,” said Jonathan Toms, senior community development manager for Smithfield Foods. “On behalf of our team members, including more than 2,500 right here in Kansas City and the surrounding communities, we are proud to present this donation of protein to help fight hunger in a place we call home.”
Stephen Davis, president and CEO of Harvesters, said, “We are so grateful for the commitment from Smithfield Foods and Price Chopper to fight hunger in our region and give back to neighbors experiencing food insecurity in our communities. Protein is always a much-requested food item from our agency partners, and this particular donation comes at a critical time with an increasing need for food assistance in our area.”
Through its Helping Hungry Homes® hunger relief program, Smithfield Foods is standing together with Price Chopper to fight hunger in northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas. This donation to Harvesters will provide more than 130,000 servings of protein to help support more than 760 nonprofit agencies including emergency food pantries, community kitchens, homeless shelters and children’s homes.
Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes® program has provided hundreds of millions of servings of protein in all 50 U.S. states, as well as in Poland, Romania and Mexico, since 2008. In 2022, the company 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.
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.
About Price Chopper
Price Chopper’s 52 Kansas City stores are locally owned by the Ball, Cosentino, McKeever, and Queen families, all of whom live in Kansas City and oversee store operations on a daily basis. For 40 years, the owners and employees of Price Chopper have been committed to providing the highest quality products and top-of-the-line customer service to the thousands of customers they serve every day. For more information, please visit www.mypricechopper.com.
About Harvesters—The Community Food Network
Harvesters is a regional food bank and was Feeding America’s 2011 Food Bank of the Year. Serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas, Harvesters provides food and related household products to more than 760 nonprofit agencies including emergency food pantries, community kitchens, shelters and others. Agencies in Harvesters’ network of pantry partners serves more than 226,000 people every month. Harvesters, which was founded in 1979, is a certified member of Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, serving all 50 states. For more information, visit www.harvesters.org.
SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.