Smithfield To Deliver Meat To Food Bank

Feb 16, 2010 Smithfield, the United Food and Commercial Workers, Food Network celebrity cook, Paula Deen and volunteers will deliver 150,000 servings of protein to the San Francisco Food Bank. This donation is a part of their Feeding The Hungry coast-to-coast tour, during which 20 million servings of much-needed protein will be delivered and unloaded to food banks around the country.

Safeway supports a broad range of charitable and community programs and will be donating more than 20,000 pounds of food that were collected during their Holiday Food Drive to the San Francisco Food Bank.

When: Wednesday, February 17, 2010
11:30 a.m.

Where: San Francisco Food Bank
900 Pennsylvania Avenue
San Francisco, California 94107

More Information
Food Banks nationwide are reporting a 25 percent increase in the number of people coming to them for help. The current recession and the continuing unemployment are having a profound effect on Food Banks ability to meet the demand. As a result, food assistance organizations across the country have been reporting over the past year that more individuals and families are turning to them for assistance including more first-time visitors, unemployed workers, employed individuals, seniors and families with children.

Smithfield and the United Food and Commercial Workers will address the need for hunger relief in San Francisco on February 17, and will continue this work across the nation in an effort to donate and deliver more than 1,600,000 pounds of protein, or more than 6,400,000 servings each year, to help families and individuals become more food secure.

We want to get as much food as possible to as many needy families as possible, said Paula Deen. I feel so grateful that my partners at Smithfield are helping me deliver protein to the pantry.

Although Smithfield Foods has long been a supporter of hunger relief initiatives, we felt the need to help shine a spotlight on an ever-increasing problem for American families, said Dennis Pittman, Public Affairs Director, Smithfield. Providing hunger relief through our Helping Hungry Homes initiative will continue to remain a priority.

Meat donations are greatly needed for their nutritional value but are often the hardest to come by, making this donation all the more critical for our community, said Leslie Harless Bacho, Deputy Executive Director of the San Francisco Food Bank. As more and more families are relying on the Food Bank for assistance, donations like this make it possible to meet the increased demand.

Safeway will be donating more than 20,000 pounds of food that were collected during their Holiday Food Drive to the San Francisco Food Bank.

The UFCW is committed to ensuring that families across the country have the relief and the opportunities they need to weather the current economic crises, said Joe Hansen, UFCW International President. All across the country UFCW members are on the frontlines of efforts to improve and strengthen their communities, and this new partnership reflects their unwavering commitment to protect and advocate for families during tough times. This partnership is about bringing together organizations with the resources, the relationships and the know-how to ensure that vulnerable communities across the country have access to well-supplied food banks. Our goal is simple: Get good, nutritious food to as many families, in as many communities, as possible.

Feeding the Hungry is one of Smithfield Foods Helping Hungry Homes initiatives. Helping Hungry Homes was established to help ensure that American families in need do not go hungry. Smithfield Foods and its independent operating companies have a long history of stocking food banks, supporting after-school nutrition programs and providing food relief in the wake of natural disasters.

Source: Smithfield