CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Smithfield® and the Gene Haas Foundation had the honor of recognizing Tuesday’s Children – an organization formed in the wake of 9/11 that provides a lifetime of healing for families who have been affected by terrorism, military conflict or mass violence – with a $50,000 donation at Stewart-Haas Racing’s headquarters in Kannapolis, N.C. In addition to the donation, race car driver Aric Almirola unveiled the special-edition No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang that he will pilot in the Sept. 11 NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway. The Ford Mustang car will feature a commemorative 9/11 paint scheme and the Tuesday’s Children logo to honor those whose lives were forever changed by the tragedy and further spotlight the non-profit’s mission.
Since Tuesday’s Children was founded nearly two decades ago, it has served more than 42,000 individuals. The organization’s goal is to ensure that families who have suffered losses due to the events of 9/11, post-9/11 military service, or other acts of mass violence and terrorism always have a comforting place to turn to for support and community. This $50,000 donation will help provide individuals and families with counseling and support, youth mentorship and career guidance, healing through service and peacebuilding, and much more.
“Tuesday’s Children is excited and honored to partner with Smithfield and the Gene Haas Foundation for the 20th anniversary of 9/11,” said Lisa Oosterom, Chief Financial Officer at Tuesday’s Children. “We are truly grateful for their support of our work so that we can continue to deliver our programs and services to the families and children that lost loved ones on Tuesday, Sept. 11, the 9/11 responders and to our nation’s Gold Star Families. We are also honored and grateful that the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang will feature the Tuesday’s Children logo during Saturday night’s race. We can’t wait to see it on the track!”
“With Saturday’s race in Richmond taking place on the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, we wanted to pay tribute to those who were affected by the heinous acts of 9/11,” said Aric Almirola, driver of the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang. “Tuesday’s Children has done an incredible job serving as a strong support system for so many individuals and families throughout the last two decades, and I am privileged to be a part of this moment to spotlight their organization through this donation and paint scheme.”
“We couldn’t be more honored to share this donation with Tuesday’s Children and give the organization the recognition it deserves for its tireless work in supporting those impacted by 9/11,” said Chris Braselton, brand manager at Smithfield Foods. “We’re grateful for Tuesday’s Children and support their mission to continue lifting up and caring for the people whose lives were forever changed 20 years ago. Just like the No. 10 Ford Mustang says, ‘We Will Never Forget.'”
To learn more about Tuesday’s Children and how you can support their mission, please visit TuesdaysChildren.org. For more information about Smithfield or the Gene Haas Foundation, you can visit Smithfield.com or ghaasfoundation.org.
About Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” and have made us one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield®, Eckrich® and Nathan’s Famous®, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
About Stewart-Haas Racing
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 90 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on YouTube.
About Tuesday’s Children
Tuesday’s Children provides a lifetime of healing for families who have been forever changed by terrorism, military conflict, or mass violence. Through a time-tested, long-term approach, Tuesday’s Children programming serves and supports our nation’s Military Families of the Fallen; builds resilience and common bonds in communities worldwide recovering from tragedies; and keeps the promise to support all those impacted by Tuesday, September 11th. For more information, please visit www.tuesdayschildren.org.
