John Morrell Supports Great Plains Food Bank with Product Donation

LISLE, Ill., Dec. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- John Morrell Food Group's work to fight hunger reached North Dakota this week. Together with Hugo's, the company donated 5,000 pounds of John Morrell ham today to the Great Plains Food Bank, a program of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131210/CL31353LOGO )

The event is a local complement to the company's commitment to Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign, a national organization working to end childhood hunger in America. John Morrell Food Group announced in October that it was joining parent company Smithfield Foods in supporting No Kid Hungry to ensure all children in America have the healthy food they need.

"Today's event is just one step we're taking to fight hunger," said Chuck Gitkin, vice president of marketing and R&D, John Morrell Food Group. "Joining forces this fall with the No Kid Hungry campaign was a great step toward making a difference and getting children and families the food they need. And while it's a national epidemic, being able to get out into the Grand Forks community with a partner such as Hugo's will help us further those efforts and demonstrate John Morrell Food Group's commitment to the issue."

"Our food industry partners are instrumental in our work to end hunger," said Marcia Paulson, director of marketing and development for the Great Plains Food Bank. "The hams John Morrell donated to us today will be distributed as early as next week to children, seniors and families struggling with hunger, and for that we are so grateful."

One in 10 individuals seek emergency food assistance from the Great Plains Food Bank and their partner network of charitable feeding programs across North Dakota - 37% of them are children. Throughout the state, the No Kid Hungry campaign helps connect children in need to the nutritious food they need and empowers families with skills to prepare healthy and affordable meals.

Hugo's customers will find details about No Kid Hungry through in-store signage and find ways they can support the campaign through the retailer's Facebook page.

For more information about No Kid Hungry and to join John Morrell in supporting the campaign, please click here. And to find ways to support the Great Plains Food Bank, visit their website.

About John Morrell Food Group
With over a century and a half of experience, John Morrell Food Group brands have become respected and well known for providing premium-quality meat products to families across the United States. With products ranging from lunchmeat and franks to smoked sausage, bacon and pepperoni, the John Morrell Food Group is an important part of consumers' mealtimes. The John Morrell Food Group offers several national and regional brands including Armour^®, Eckrich^®, John Morrell^®, Curly's^®, Patrick Cudahy^®, Carando^®, Healthy Ones^®, Margherita^® Kretschmar^® and LunchMakers^®.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $13 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 Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry^® Campaign
No child should grow up hungry in America, but one in five children struggles with hunger. Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry^® campaign is ending childhood hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day. The No Kid Hungry campaign connects kids in need to effective nutrition programs like school breakfast and summer meals and teaches low-income families to cook healthy, affordable meals through Cooking Matters. This work is accomplished through the No Kid Hungry network, made up of private citizens, public officials, nonprofits, business leaders and others providing innovative hunger solutions in their communities. Join us at NoKidHungry.org.

About Great Plains Food Bank
The Great Plains Food Bank engages community partners to end hunger. As the state's largest hunger-relief provider, the Great Plains Food Bank partner network includes 266 charitable feeding programs operating in 104 communities across North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota. Celebrating its 30th year of service, the Great Plains Food Bank and its statewide partner network of food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens and other charitable feeding programs have distributed food for more than 100 million meals to children seniors and families in need since opening its doors in 1983. The Great Plains Food Bank is a program of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota, a statewide social services agency serving thousands of North Dakotans in need with affordable housing, food, disaster recovery, counseling and therapy and other programs that strengthen individuals, families and communities without regard to clients' race, religion, gender or economic status; and a member of Feeding America, the nation's food bank network.

SOURCE John Morrell Food Group