ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 15, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) teamed up with Olympic star gymnasts Shannon Miller, John Roethlisberger and John Macready today at the Community Partners for Youth to announce a 30,000-pound donation of much needed protein to the Second Harvest Heartland network.
The donation is part of Tyson's ongoing commitment to hunger relief and national sponsorship of America's Second Harvest. Since 2000, Tyson has donated more than 38 million pounds of protein to more than 400 hunger relief organizations nationwide. Tyson is also a sponsor of USA Gymnastics, providing chicken, beef and pork to the USA Gymnastics National Training Center in Huntsville, Texas. The gymnasts on hand for the donation today visited with children at the Community Partners for Youth, a Kids Cafe(r) program of America's Second Harvest.
With limited availability of free lunch programs in the summertime, a vacation from school can also mean an absence of well balanced meals for some St. Paul children. The Kids Cafe program offers nutritious meals to children and creates a haven where children can get involved in education, recreation and social activities. There are more than 1,100 Kids Cafes(r) in operation throughout the U.S. The Twin Cities metro area has six operating sites supported by Second Harvest Heartland serving almost 450 children.
"It is incredibly powerful for children to meet U.S. Olympic champions and we are so grateful to Tyson for dedicating the resources to touch the lives of our children," said R. Jane Brown, executive director of the Second Harvest Heartland food bank.
The need for hunger relief is significant. America's Second Harvest "Hunger in America 2006" study found an estimated 35 percent of local families had to make the choice between food and utilities year-round, and about 27 percent had to choose between food and health care services. The Second Harvest Heartland food bank network serves 800 member non profit agencies in 59 counties of MN and western Wisconsin.
Brown said children make up about 50 percent of the population served through the food bank, and a donation of meat products is particularly significant. "Demand for food increases in the summertime, when children are out of school," she said. "Protein or meat-related donations are highly sought after and rarely donated in a significant quantity such as the donation from Tyson."