Farmland Donates 80,000 Pounds of Protein to Local Food Banks Across Missouri in Culmination of Bacon for Santa Campaign

KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmland is donating 80,000 pounds of protein to Missouri food banks during two donation events this week, providing more than 320,000 servings of protein to families in need. These donation mark two of three donation events happening across the Midwest to complete Farmland's recent Bacon for Santa campaign, a commitment to donate 500,000 meals to Feeding America®, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief charity, and its network of more than 200 food banks across the U.S. 

Representatives from Farmland will present a donation of 40,000 pounds of protein to Harvesters Community Food Network in Kansas City during a press conference on Tuesday, March 24. The following day, on Wednesday, March 25, the brand will donate 40,000 pounds of protein to the St. Louis Area Foodbank.

"We are so grateful to Farmland for this wonderful donation of protein," said Harvesters President and CEO Valerie Nicholson-Watson. "Protein is such an important part of a healthy diet, and it is a food item that our clients want, but often find difficult to acquire."

"Farmland is truly 'bringing home the bacon' for thousands of local families. We're always looking to provide more meat and are truly grateful for this donation of fresh pork products.  Not only are they delicious, but bacon, chops, loins, ribs, sausage and ham are also important in the Foodbank's ability to provide complete meals to people in need," said St. Louis Area Foodbank President and CEO, Frank Finnegan.

In December, Farmland partnered with Feeding America to spread holiday cheer and raise awareness through the Bacon for Santa campaign. Bacon lovers pledged to join Farmland in the fight against hunger, and this donation celebrates the ongoing commitment to help ensure that American families in need do not go hungry.

"Smithfield Foods' family of brands, including Farmland, has made more than 205 donations across the country through the company's Helping Hungry Homes program," said Dennis Pittman, Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for Smithfield. "With Farmland's headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri is a vital part of our brand's identity and we're proud to be able to help out families across the state through these donations."

Smithfield Foods and its independent operating companies have a long history of stocking food banks, supporting after-school nutrition programs and providing food relief in the wake of natural disasters. In January 2008, Smithfield established their Helping Hungry Homes initiatives to help ensure that American families in need do not go hungry.

About Harvesters—The Community Food Network
Harvesters is a regional food bank and was Feeding America's 2011 Food Bank of the Year. Serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas, Harvesters provides food and related household products to more than 620 not-for-profit agencies including emergency food pantries, community kitchens, shelters and others. Agencies in Harvesters' network provide food assistance to as many as 141,500 different people each month. Harvesters, which was founded in 1979, is a certified member of Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, serving all 50 states. For more information, visit www.harvesters.org.

About St. Louis Area Foodbank
The St. Louis Area Foodbank began its service to the community in 1975. Since that time, the organization has grown to become the bi-state region's largest nonprofit 501(c)(3) food distribution center dedicated to feeding those in need. Through a network of more than 500 partner agencies in 26 counties in Missouri and Illinois, the Foodbank distributes nearly 35 million pounds of food and personal care items annually. More than 392,000 people in the bi-state region rely on the Foodbank for assistance each year. For more information on the organization and the issue of hunger, please visit www.STLFoodbank.org. 

About Farmland
At Farmland, we are passionate about pork. We have been since 1959, when we first started working side-by-side with American farm families to offer the best quality pork cuts. More than 50 years later, our unsurpassed passion and pride are stronger than ever, serving retail and foodservice customers across the United States and in 25 countries on five continents. Our natural, fresh pork products — bacon, chops, loins, ribs, sausage and ham — are tender, flavorful and made with the highest quality ingredients.  Headquartered in Kansas City, MO, Farmland is a brand of Smithfield-Farmland, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods. To learn more about Farmland's passion for pork, please visit www.FarmlandFoods.com and www.Facebook.com/FarmlandFoods.

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®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, Gwaltney®, John Morrell®, Kretschmar®, Curly's®, Carando®, Margherita®, and Healthy Ones®. 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 www.smithfieldcommitments.com.

About Feeding America
Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that 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. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate.  Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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SOURCE Farmland

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