Tyson Foods has sent teams to Pilger, Nebraska, to prepare meals for those affected by the devastation from twin tornadoes that hit the community on June 16. The storms destroyed more than half of the town with a population of about 350, left two people dead and hospitalized at least another 19 people.
Teams from the Tyson Foods Fresh Meats’ operations in Madison and Dakota City, Nebraska arrived onsite the day following the destruction. Tyson’s Meals that Matter mobile relief truck was sent to Pilger from its home base in Springdale, Arkansas. The company is also sending a tractor-trailer load of bulk ice for distribution in the affected area.
Tyson’s Meals that Matter program, originated in 2012, includes a tractor-trailer with enough refrigerated space to store up to 20,000 pounds of food products for initial response, and dry storage to transport supplies to set up a feeding site and support for Tyson cook teams. The Meals that Matter operation is capable of feeding more than 10,000 meals per day to victims of disaster, first responders and volunteers.
Tyson Foods will also be matching team member cash donations, up to $50,000, to Team Rubicon, a military veterans’ group that is also deployed to provide onsite assistance.