Smithfield's Helping Hungry Homes campaign visited Richmond on Sept. 9 for the 26th stop on its 2016 nationwide hunger-relief tour. The company donated more than 25,000 pounds of protein to FeedMore's Central Virginia Food Bank. The considerable donation, in celebration of Richmond race weekend, will provide more than 100,000 servings to help FeedMore continue to provide meals to the Central Virginia community, where one in seven people face hunger.
Smithfield partnered with Kroger, Richmond International Raceway (RIR), and Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) to present the donation during an event at the Staples Mill Kroger in Henrico, Va. Speakers discussed the importance of donations like these in Central Virginia, where FeedMore distributes more than 18.6 million meals each year.
No. 43 driver Aric Almirola, who has partnered with the Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes program to donate thousands of pounds of protein over recent years, was present to discuss the importance of these donations and to raise awareness about the necessity of providing assistance to our neighbors in need.
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 35 large-scale protein donations to food banks across the United States totaling more than 3.5 million servings. To date, Helping Hungry Homes has provided more than 40 million servings of protein to food banks across America.
"We are incredibly thankful for the continued support of our community partners like Smithfield," said Tim McDermott, chief development officer at FeedMore. "As we work with our network of nearly 300 partner agencies to distribute nutritious food for wholesome meals to our neighbors who struggle with hunger, protein is one of the key components. Smithfield's generous 25,000-pound donation of their products allows us to positively impact our nearly 200,000 neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet and provide healthy meals for their families. We are so very grateful that we can include excellent quality Smithfield foods to support the nutritional needs of our recipients."
"We are thrilled to be a part of the Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes event," said Anne Jenkins, customer communications manager at Kroger Mid-Atlantic. "We are always looking for additional ways that we can positively impact the community, and this event provides a great opportunity to give back to FeedMore in a meaningful way."
"At RIR, we are focused on giving back to the community that has supported us for years. That's why it's such an honor to be part of this Helping Hungry Homes food donation," said Dennis Bickmeier, president of Richmond International Raceway. "This donation is a product of three outstanding organizations coming together to help feed people within the local area. I'm very thankful that RIR has the opportunity to partner with Smithfield and Kroger to help do some good in Richmond."
"Smithfield is thrilled to partner with Kroger, RIR, and RPM to present this donation to FeedMore through our Helping Hungry Homes program," said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. "We're proud to support the food bank with this donation of wholesome protein, which will help more than 100,000 of our neighbors suffering from hunger in Central Virginia."
"Richard Petty Motorsports is honored to participate in this donation leading up to Richmond race weekend," said Almirola. "So many race fans are loyal customers of Smithfield and shop at Kroger, so it's great to see the two organizations partnering to give back to the communities that support them, and our race team, throughout the year."
