HOUSTON — Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes campaign partnered with Randalls this morning to provide more than 60,000 pounds of protein to the Houston Food Bank. The donation, equivalent to more than 240,000 servings, will help alleviate hunger in southeast Texas, where one in four children struggle with hunger.
Representatives from both companies presented the donation to the Houston Food Bank during an event at which speakers discussed the importance of donations like this in Texas, where one in six residents are food insecure, meaning they do not know the source of their next meal.
Helping Hungry Homes, now in its eighth year, is Smithfield’s coast-to-coast tour to help Americans become more food secure. This year, the program will help fight hunger through more than 40 large-scale protein donations to food banks across the United States totaling more than 5 million servings. To date, Helping Hungry Homes has provided more than 42 million servings of protein to food banks across America.
“Protein is a valuable resource for the families we serve, and it is not always readily available to those in need of food assistance,” said Brian Greene, president and CEO of Houston Food Bank. “This generous donation from Smithfield and Randalls will make a great impact.”
“Randalls is so pleased to partner with Smithfield on their Helping Hungry Homes tour to make this donation that will help put meat on the tables of families struggling with hunger,” said Dawne Proffitt, Randalls community relations manager. “Our company has a long history of giving back to the Houston community, and we are thrilled to join together to serve the Houston Food Bank.”
“Smithfield is proud to partner with Randalls to present this donation to the Houston Food Bank,” said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. “The food bank relies on donations like this in order to continue feeding more than 800,000 people each year. We encourage others to get involved and volunteer time, money or food to make a difference in their community.”
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 Randalls
Randalls currently operates 30 stores in the Houston-area and is part of Albertsons Companies; one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with both a strong local presence and national scale. The company operates stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 19 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs.
Albertsons Companies is dedicated to helping people across the country live better lives. In 2015 alone, with the help of generous customers, Albertsons Companies and the Albertsons Companies Foundation gave more than $270 million in food and financial support to the more than 2,300 communities they serve, improving the lives of millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities, and veterans outreach. Albertsons Companies is committed to making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood.
About the Houston Food Bank
The Houston Food Bank is a solution to hunger in times of need. America’s largest and nationally recognized as Feeding America’s Food Bank of the Year in 2015, the Food Bank distributes 79 million nutritious meals through its network of 600 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other hunger relief charities in southeast Texas, feeding 800,000 individuals each year. Fresh produce, meat and nonperishables are distributed from the warehouse at 535 Portwall, and meals for kids are prepared and distributed from Keegan Center, a 15,000 square-foot industrial kitchen. Additional community services include nutrition education, school-based programs, food stamp applications and hands-on job training. Red Barrels offer a convenient way for grocery shoppers to donate nonperishables for their neighbors in need. The Houston Food Bank, founded in 1982, is a certified member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network, with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. Visit us online. Website: houstonfoodbank.org; Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehoustonfoodbank; Twitter: @houstonfoodbank; Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/houstonfoodbank.
Source: Smithfield Foods
