Cargill and Rumba Meats Provide Support for Hispanic Community, Recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month Through Scholarships and Leadership Program for US Hispanic Students and Economic Relief Grants to Small Business Owners

WICHITA, Kan., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, for the second consecutive year, Cargill and Rumba Meats, its food brand focused on celebrating family and keeping Latino traditions alive, is partnering with the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) to award 25 scholarships of $1,000 for post-secondary education. Rumba Meats is also investing in USHLI's Student Leadership Series program, which serves more than 85,000 high school students, in more than 25 states, annually. The Student Leadership Series is designed to connect students with resources, tools and support to achieve higher education.

High school seniors across the U.S. are invited to apply for the Rumba Meats Scholarship between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30. Unique to the Rumba Meats scholarship application is an essay requiring students to articulate how their heritage has influenced the direction of their lives, their leadership aspirations and how they plan to serve their communities in the future.

"The stories of perseverance and determination from last year's scholarship recipients are moving," said Hilary Gerard, Cargill Protein-North America brand manager for Rumba Meats. "These students are using their experiences as Hispanic Americans to inform their long-term education and career ambitions. For example, Christina Arce, from Laredo, Texas, is now pursuing nursing school after seeing her family struggle to communicate with nurses and physicians while her grandmother was hospitalized and battling cancer. She believes all patients should be able to understand their healthcare plan regardless of language barriers."

Earlier this year, Rumba Meats joined United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to provide $100,000 in economic relief grants to small business owners.  One grant recipient shared, "I plan to use a portion of these funds to create a home office for my office manager so that she will not need to take the bus to work and can work safely from home."  Another said "I am extremely honored and very emotional to have been chosen for the micro-grant. One year ago, we started this business and things were wonderful until COVID-19 hit us hard. It's been so difficult to run my business trying to follow all the different guidelines that are constantly changing. This grant will help us offset some of the additional business expenses."

For almost 40 years, USHLI has advocated for the education and leadership development of Latinos and similarly disenfranchised groups. Founded in 1982 by Dr. Juan Andrade, Jr. – one of America's most decorated Hispanic figures – USHLI has empowered millions of Latinos to pursue education, civic engagement and more. The organization's cornerstone program is its Student Leadership Series – a program dedicated to empowering high school students to stay in school, graduate and pursue post-secondary education.

"Education is the single greatest tool to help today's youth have a successful future," said Andrade. "Investment in scholarships from organizations such as Rumba Meats allows students to achieve a higher education and build a future they may have otherwise thought impossible."

Students can learn more about the Rumba Meats scholarship, including eligibility criteria and how to complete their application, by visiting the Rumba website.

About Rumba Meats
Rumba Meats, part of the Cargill family of brands, helps the Latino community celebrate their culture and preserve their heritage through food. With nearly 30 different specialty beef cuts available, Rumba delivers high-quality traditional variety meats that are an integral part of Latino traditions and culture. Customers can find Rumba Meats in mainstream grocery stores and order doorstep delivery nationwide. To learn more, visit https://rumbameats.com/ or www.facebook.com/rumbameats.

About Cargill
Cargill's 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive. We combine 155 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side by side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture.

About the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute
Based in Chicago, USHLI is an award-winning national nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization. Since 1982, USHLI has registered 2.3 million new voters; published 425 reports on Latino demographics in the Almanac of Latino Politics; sponsored 38 annual national conferences, each attended by leaders from 40 states; trained over 1.1 million present and future leaders; and awarded over $1.3 million in scholarships and internships.

About the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
The USHCC actively promotes the economic growth, development, and interests of more than 4.7 million Hispanic-owned businesses, that combined, contribute over $700 billion to the American economy every year. It also advocates on behalf of more than 200 major American corporations and serves as the umbrella organization for more than 260 local chambers and business associations nationwide. For more information, please visit ushcc.com. Follow us on Twitter @USHCC.

SOURCE Cargill, Inc.

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