Farmland Donates $92,000 To Harvesters At Charity Event Featuring Eli Young Band, The Legendary Richard Petty And Driver Of The #43 Ford Fusion Aric Almirola

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmland announced a donation of $92,000 which equates to 460,000 meals to Harvesters at a charity event Thursday night at Memorial Hall with the Eli Young Band, NASCAR legend Richard Petty and driver of the #43 Ford Fusion Aric Almirola.

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"This contribution is part of our continued efforts to support Harvesters through our 'Bacon A Difference' campaign" Farmland Senior Brand Manager Drew Lericos said. "Kansas Citians helped to make this tremendous donation possible and together we celebrate the meals provided to families, children and seniors in need in our hometown."

Drew Lericos, Richard Petty and Aric Almirola presented Gail Meriweather, Harvesters' Board Chair with the donation during the intermission between opening act Starhaven Rounders and the Eli Young Band's performance.

Earlier this summer, Farmland pledged to donate 10 cents to Harvesters for every package of Farmland bacon purchased between July 4 and Sept. 2. The 10-cent pledge and all proceeds from Thursday's event, including a $10 match for every ticket sold, helped Farmland to achieve its expanded "Bacon A Difference" campaign efforts to raise $100,000 in 2013 for Harvesters. The campaign is a part of Smithfield's overarching Helping Hungry Homes initiative, which has donated nearly 20 million servings to those in need across the county.

"Richard Petty Motorsports is excited to kick off this NASCAR weekend with this donation that will impact those who need it most in Kansas City," NASCAR legend Richard Petty said. "Farmland's unwavering support to hometown causes such as Harvesters showcases their team's pride in the city and its citizens."

Farmland is partnering with Richard Petty Motorsports to make a meaningful donation to end hunger in every market where the Farmland #43 Ford Fusion races this year.  Already in 2013, Farmland Foods has donated a total of $100,000 and protein to food banks in Phoenix; Las Vegas; Fontana, Calif.; and Sonoma, Calif., as well as earlier this year in Kansas City. 

"The support of community partners such as Farmland continues to bolster Harvesters' mission to feed hungry people today and work to end hunger tomorrow," Gail Meriweather, Harvesters' Board Chair said.

Since 1979, Harvesters has played an integral role in serving Kansas City with their food and product distributions. During any given week, Harvesters provides 66,000 people with emergency food assistance—26,000 of whom are children—making their services a staple for the Kansas City community.

About Farmland Foods
Farmland Foods, Inc., based in Kansas City, Mo., provides a broad selection of pork products to retail and foodservice customers in the U.S. and abroad across a variety of categories, including bacon, fresh pork, hams, fresh sausage, hot dogs and lunchmeat. Farmland Foods has a large and growing international business, exporting products to more than 60 countries across six continents. Since its founding in 1959, the company has maintained a proud heritage of working side by side with American farm families. Farmland Foods, which reached over $4 billion in sales in 2012, is a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods. To learn more, go to www.FarmlandFoods.com

About Harvesters—The Community Food Network
Harvesters is this area's only 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, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, children's homes and others. Agencies in Harvesters' network provide food assistance to as many as 66,000 different people each week. 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 Richard Petty Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports (www.richardpettymotorsports.com), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force and STP, and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partner Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.

SOURCE Farmland Foods