TOPEKA, Kan., Sept. 25, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE:TSN) is going on the road to fight hunger in Kansas. The company is sending a truckload of protein products to relief agencies in three Kansas cities, creating a two-day donation event beginning in Topeka, moving on to Wichita and ending up in Garden City. The organizations benefiting from the donations are:
-- Let's Help, Inc. in Topeka -- Kansas Food Bank Warehouse in Wichita -- Emmaus House in Garden City
The donations are part of Tyson Foods' continued commitment to fight hunger in America. While the three organizations are diverse in size and scope of their services, they all have at least one thing in common: the persistent need for donated protein products to supplement the feeding programs they offer to hungry individuals and families. Approximately 10 percent of Kansans are living in poverty, and approximately 12.3 percent experience food insecurity, with or without hunger. In addition to the obvious affects of hunger, food insecurity also affects children's ability to learn, and it ironically contributes to obesity, since foods that are inexpensive are often poor sources of nutrition and high in fat and carbohydrates.
Tyson Foods has pledged to donate at least 10 million pounds of protein to charitable domestic hunger-relief organizations. America's Second Harvest "Hunger in America 2006" study found that in 2004, 38.2 million people lived in food-insecure households, including 13.9 million children. Protein is one of the most efficient and long lasting sources of energy. The chicken donated during this event is one of the most concentrated sources of protein -- an essential nutrient of life. The average person -- man, woman or child -- needs to eat about 0.4 grams of protein for every pound of bodyweight, every day. This is approximately equivalent to five ounces of chicken, beef or pork.
In June, Tyson facilities nationwide kicked off a new program to raise funds and awareness for the fight against childhood hunger. The program is called Powering the Spirit(tm) and involves three key components: local fund-raising through cooking and grilling events, sales of a specially produced Tyson cookbook featuring recipes from the kitchens of Tyson team members nationwide and the donation of 75 percent of the proceeds of those fundraising efforts to the community where the money is raised.
This year, Tyson also sponsored an America's Second Harvest publication, The Almanac of Hunger and Poverty in America 2006, which is the first-ever comprehensive collection of facts on hunger, poverty, federal nutrition programs, and the food banks and food rescue organizations in the America's Second Harvest Network.
About Hunger Relief Nationwide
Tyson has made significant impact in their fight against hunger nationwide through a partnership with Share Our Strength (r), and America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network. Share Our Strength is a nonprofit that inspires and organizes individuals and businesses to share their strengths in innovative ways to help end childhood hunger in America. America's Second Harvest is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the country with more than 200 food banks in its network.
Since Tyson's partnership with hunger relief organizations began in 2000, the company has provided more than 39 million pounds of chicken, beef and pork -- supplying more than 156 million meals with essential protein -- to benefit more than 400 hunger relief organizations across the U.S. Tyson has made a significant impact leading the fight against hunger through its ongoing partnerships with America's Second Harvest, Share Our Strength, Lift Up America and others.
According to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey released in August 2005 which studied conditions in 2004, the poverty rate in America rose by 4 percent to 35.9 million people, one-third of which are children.