DES MOINES, IOWA – When it comes to giving back to their communities, pig farmers across the U.S. like to adopt the “go big or go home attitude”, and this Giving Tuesday is no different. Today, U.S. pig farmers, the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), Smithfield Foods, Inc., Prairie Fresh Pork, JBS USA Pork and state pork associations kicked off the fourth annual Hams Across America campaign.
“Each year Hams Across America kicks off on Giving Tuesday, which is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving,” said David Newman, president of the National Pork Board. The programs concept is simple: Give a ham to those in need or to those you care about this holiday season.”
Pig farmers and those involved in the pork industry are encouraged to extend their giving through Dec. 23 with Hams Across America. Individuals can participate by purchasing a gift of ham (or any pork product) and paying it forward to those in need. Participants are encouraged to share their pay-it-forward stories on social media using #HamsAcrossAmerica and #GiveAHam. They also are encouraged to challenge others they know to pay it forward and to share how they live the We CareSM ethical principles. The We Care principles include: Food Safety, Animal Well-Being, Public Health, Environment, Our People and Our Community.
“Hams Across America illustrates key We Care value of America’s pork producers – community support,” said National Pork Producers Council President David Herring. “We’re honored to share our products with those in need so they can enjoy delicious, healthy meals this holiday season.”
The National Pork Board and the NPPC are partnering with many state pork associations across the United States to extend the Hams Across America campaign through the holiday season. These events include:
- The Iowa Pork Producers Association will team with law enforcement across the state, packing meals to fight food insecurity through the Arresting Hunger campaign. Iowa Pork also will serve breakfast to clients of the Central Iowa Shelter and Services on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
- The Tennesse Pork Producers Association will partner with PFG Nashville to serve breakfast to clients of the Nashville Rescue Mission.
- The Missouri Pork Producers Association will donate $5,000 to the Food Bank of Central & Northeast Missouri. Also, Smithfield Foods and Prairie Fresh Pork will donate nearly 70,000 pounds of pork on Dec. 10.
- The Wisconsin Pork Producers Association is partnering with Compeer Financial to donate fresh hams to Wisconsin food banks.
- The Colorado Pork Producers Association will donate $10,000 to the Food Bank of the Rockies. Smithfield Foods and JBS USA Pork also will donate over 50,000 pounds of pork on Dec. 19.
- The Nebraska Pork Producers Association will distribute hams to homeless shelters in Omaha and Lincoln areas.
“Smithfield Foods is proud to again be a part of Hams Across America and to contribute protein to those in need this holiday season,” said Jonathan Toms, associate manager of charitable initiatives for Smithfield Foods. “Hunger relief is at the center of everything we do at Smithfield, and we are humbled to be able to provide support through this partnership with the National Pork Board and the National Pork Producers Council.”
“Our producers at Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods believe it’s important to support our communities and neighbors whether they are next door or across the country,” said David Eaheart, senior director of communications and Prairie Fresh brand marketing at Seaboard Foods. “With the hope of making the holiday season brighter for those facing food insecurity, we’re glad to join the National Pork Board, NPPC and other U.S. pig farmers in supporting Hams Across America with our Prairie Fresh pork products.”
JBS USA Pork is proud to support the Hams Across America campaign with a donation of 20,000 pounds of pork to the Food Bank of the Rockies. “Hunger relief is an integral part of JBS and we are grateful to be included in this incredible nationwide effort to help feed our communities,” says Bob Krebs, president at JBS USA Pork.
This year, the National Pork Board is partnering with nine YouTube creators who will put their own spin on paying it forward with pork to share the message with consumers. The #HamsAcrossAmerica YouTube campaign runs through the end of the year and is projected to engage 5 million viewers. The roster of creators includes Good Mythical Morning, Guga Foods, HellthyJunkFood and Binging with Babish. The campaign video playlist and more information on how to get involved can be found at pork.org/HamsAcrossAmerica.
“Partnering with influencers to share our pork story has been an important piece of our digital strategy. This is especially important since YouTube reaches 95% of Gen Z, a demographic with whom we need to start building relationships with now,” Newman said. “We are excited for these amazing creators to help share pig farmers’ commitment to our communities.”
About the National Pork Board
The National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. Importers of pork products contribute a like amount, based on a formula. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, science and technology, swine health, pork safety and sustainability and environmental management. For information on Checkoff-funded programs, pork producers can call the Pork Checkoff Service Center at (800) 456-7675 or check the Internet at www.pork.org.
About the National Pork Producers Council
NPPC is the global voice for the U.S. pork industry, protecting the livelihoods of America’s 60,000 pork producers, who abide by ethical principles in caring for their animals, in protecting the environment and public health and in providing safe, wholesome, nutritious pork products to consumers worldwide. For more information, visit www.nppc.org.
About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 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. Popular brands include Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan’s Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, Farmer John®, Kretschmar®, John Morrell®, Cook’s®, Gwaltney®, Carando®, Margherita®, Curly’s®, Healthy Ones®, Morliny®, Krakus®, 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, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About Prairie Fresh Pork
Prairie Fresh® is the brand of a uniquely connected food system between strategic partners Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods that relentlessly seeks a better way to produce wholesome pork by purposely connecting every step between its farms and family tables around the world. This commitment ensures the well-being of the animals, the environment, employees and the communities they call home. Sold and marketed by Seaboard Foods, Prairie Fresh is the official pork supplier to Operation BBQ Relief (OBR) and since 2015 has provided pork for OBR to serve nearly 1.9 million pork meals following natural disasters in the United States and internationally.
About JBS USA
JBS USA is the second largest fresh pork producer in the U.S. delivering fresh, further-processed, and value added pork products to customers across the globe. At JBS USA, we recognize the important role we play in hunger relief across the U.S. and we strive to ensure our volunteering, sponsorships, and donations have a meaningful impact on our communities. This year, we’ve donated over 1 million meals and hundreds of volunteer hours to help those in need. For more information, visit www.jbssa.com.
