WASHINGTON, DC – In recognition of National Hot Dog Day on July 22, 2020, members of the North American Meat Institute (NAMI or the Meat Institute) are working with Feeding America to donate more than 325,000 hot dogs to food banks across the nation for people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Traditionally, National Hot Dog Day activities celebrate the cultural, social and nutritional value of America’s summer favorite, the hot dog. For more than 40 years, the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) has celebrated National Hot Dog Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, serving up hot dogs to lawmakers and their staff in one of the most anticipated events of the year.
This year the economic uncertainty due to COVID-19 has changed this annual celebration into an opportunity for the meat and poultry industry to help millions of Americans turning to food banks, many for the first time, to feed their families.
The Meat Institute would like to recognize the following members and partners for their generosity, supporting 25 food banks and many more community partners around the country:
| NAMI Member Company | Feeding America Food Bank |
| Boar’s Head | Mid Ohio Food Bank, Grove City, Ohio |
| Clemens Food Group/Hatfield | Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley & NEPA in Allentown, Penn. |
| Certified Angus Beef | Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank, Comstock Park, Mich. and Greater Cleveland Foodbank, Cleveland, Ohio |
| Dietz and Watson | Philabundance, Philadelphia, Penn., Capital Area Food Bank, Washington D.C., Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Charlotte, NC and The Greater Boston Food Bank, Boston, Mass. |
| Ebels General Store/Little Town Jerky | Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank, Cadillac, Mich. |
| Flocchini Family Provisions | Food Bank of Northern Nevada, McCarron, Nev. |
| Kent Quality Foods | Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank, Cadillac, Mich. |
| Lower Foods | Utah Food Bank, Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Nueske’s | Chicago Area Food Bank, Chicago, Ill. |
| Old World Provisions | Regional Food Bank of Northeast NY, Albany, NY |
| Omaha Steaks | Food Bank for the Heartland, Omaha, Neb. |
| Original Hot Dog Factory | Atlanta Community Food Bank, Atlanta, GA |
| Sigma Foods Inc. | Houston Food Bank, Houston, Tex. , San Antonio Food Bank, San Antonio, Tex. |
| Smithfield Foods | City Harvest, New York, NY |
| Sysco Cleveland | Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Cleveland, Ohio |
| Tyson Foods (Ball Park Brand) | Feeding Tampa Bay, Tampa, Fla. Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla. |
| Uncle Charley’s Sausage Co. | Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Pittsburgh, Penn. |
| Usingers in partnership with Shake Shack | Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis. |
| Zweigles | Foodlink, Inc. Rochester, NY |
The North American Meat Institute is the leading voice for the meat and poultry industry. The Meat Institute’s members process the vast majority of U.S. beef, pork, lamb, and poultry, as well as manufacture the equipment and ingredients needed to produce the safest and highest quality meat and poultry products.
Established in 1994 by the American Meat Institute, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council serves as an information resource to consumers and media on questions related to quality, safety, nutrition and preparation of hot dogs and sausages. The Council also celebrates hot dogs and sausages as iconic American foods.
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry.
