BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 26, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) announced today a donation of 37,440 pounds of protein to United Way Community Food Bank in Birmingham. The donation will help serve the more than 300,000 people served by the food bank annually. Children and senior citizens account for an estimated 30 percent of the population served by United Way Community Food Bank. The donation comes in celebration of the 65th annual Magic City Classic in Birmingham. Tyson Foods is a sponsor of a series of events held Oct. 26 through Oct. 28 that includes a parade, tailgate party and pep rally. The series of events ends with a Saturday football game, played between Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University.
Tyson is expected to deliver its donation Thursday at about 2 p.m. to the food bank at 107 Walter Davis Drive in Birmingham. United Way Community Food Bank Executive Director Larry Logan said protein and other perishable items are always more of a challenge to obtain.
"Hunger exists in all neighborhoods and in all communities, and we continue to fight it every day," said Logan. "However, a protein donation such as the one from Tyson Foods is a particularly welcomed gift because our limited budget sometimes makes it more difficult for us to buy more expensive items such as meat." Logan said non-perishable items account for about 85 percent of the food distributed from the food bank annually.
The donation is part of a three-year commitment from Tyson Foods to America's Second Harvest. As part of the initiative, Tyson has pledged to donate at least 10 million pounds of protein to the nationwide food bank network and charitable domestic hunger-relief organization. United Way Community Food Bank is a member of America's Second Harvest(r) -- The Nation's Food Bank Network.
Protein is one of the most efficient and long lasting sources of energy. The chicken donated today 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 donation of 75 percent of the proceeds of those fundraising efforts to the community where the money is raised.
About Hunger Relief Nationwide
Tyson has made a significant impact in the 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 41 million pounds of chicken, beef and pork -- supplying more than 164 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. For more information on how to get involved in the fight against hunger go to www.tyson.com, http://www.secondharvest.org or www.strength.org.