MILWAUKEE, July 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes campaign made the 18th stop on its 2016 nationwide hunger-relief tour this morning to donate more than 25,000 pounds of much-needed protein to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. The donation, in partnership with Pick ’n Save, will provide more than 100,000 servings to the Milwaukee community where one in eight people suffers from hunger.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6c63b42f-4b34-464e-ba43-04b6e54e9380
“Smithfield is proud to partner with Pick ‘n Save to provide Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin 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 throughout Milwaukee.”
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 40 million servings of protein to food banks across America.
Smithfield and Pick ‘n Save presented the donation to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin during an event at the food bank on Thursday, July 21. Speakers discussed the importance of donations like this to the Milwaukee area and why it’s important to help neighbors in need.
“We’re proud to partner with Smithfield and Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin to help give back to the communities in which we serve,” said Connie Jones, administrator of Roundy’s Foundation. “It’s important for us to provide healthy food to those in need throughout the entire year, and especially in the summer when students have limited access to fresh or frozen foods. These protein items are some of the most needed items by food pantries in the area.”
The donation will also support the food bank’s Healthy Kids, Healthy Summer program, which provides healthy summer meal options to the 83 percent of Milwaukee Public School children who depend on school-provided meals throughout the year.
“We are grateful to Smithfield and Pick ’n Save for this generous donation of protein, which is so essential to proper nutrition and improving the health of our communities,” said Charles McLimans, president and CEO of Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. “We are focused on providing our neighbors with only the most healthy, nutritious food options possible, and having great partners like Smithfield and Pick ’n Save enables us to do that.”
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 Pick ‘n Save
Pick ‘n Save is one of four grocery banners of Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR). In 2015 Pick ‘n Save celebrated its 40th anniversary. There are currently 89 Pick ‘n Save locations throughout Wisconsin. For more information about Pick ‘n Save, visit the Pick ‘n Save website at: www.picknsave.com.
About Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is the leading hunger relief organization in the state with locations in Milwaukee and the Fox Valley. Founded in 1982 by the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is a local and independent member of the Feeding America network. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin collaborates with more than 550 members, including food pantries, meal programs, shelters and community-based mobile pantries to provide 25 million meals annually to nearly 400,000 people across 36 counties in eastern Wisconsin. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin also supports programs that improve food security for people in need, advocates on their behalf and works collaboratively to solve hunger.