Smithfield and Harris Teeter Partner to Donate 25,000 Pounds of Protein to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina as Part of Smithfield’s 2016 Nationwide “Helping Hungry Homes” Do

WILMINGTON, N.C., March 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This morning, Smithfield and Harris Teeter partnered to donate 25,000 pounds of protein to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina to help serve the Wilmington area and five surrounding communities. Smithfield’s 2016 Helping Hungry Homes donation tour will help fight hunger through more than 30 large-scale protein donations to food banks across the United States.

Representatives from Smithfield and Harris Teeter present a 25,000-pound protein donation to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina as part of the Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes tour.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/77237e98-2b6a-4b0d-b284-7c322e5e28b4

Representatives from Smithfield and Harris Teeter presented the donation during an event on Monday, March 21 at the Hanover Center Harris Teeter store, located at 3501 Oleander Drive, #18, Wilmington, NC 28403.

“We are so grateful to Smithfield Foods for this generous donation,” said Beth Gaglione, Wilmington Branch Director for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. “Protein is a vital part of any diet and one many of our hungry neighbors cannot fit into their strained budgets.”

“Harris Teeter is extremely proud to partner with Smithfield to help feed community members in need,” said Danna Robinson, communication manager for Harris Teeter. “By offering our resources to Smithfield, we are able to strengthen our commitment to the fight against hunger with our longtime partners, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, and beyond.”

To honor all agriculture industry students and professionals in North Carolina, this donation in Wilmington is being made adjacent to the Smithfield Foods Hog Production Growers Expo, which will take place on March 22-23 in Kenansville, NC. The Smithfield Foods Hog Production Division is a large employer in the state, and the Expo will feature worldwide vendors displaying the latest in agricultural equipment and new technology.

"In recognition of all the North Carolina farmers who grow hogs on contract with Smithfield Foods, we are honored to partner with Harris Teeter to donate these nutritious pork products and pay tribute to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina,” said Don Butler, Director of Corporate Affairs for Smithfield Foods. “This collaborative effort is our way of showing that we all support the local community. We are proud to demonstrate to the young students attending our Grower Expo event this week that giving back to our communities is important and is one of Smithfield's core commitments."

“Smithfield is proud to partner with Harris Teeter and the Growers Expo to provide the local Wilmington food bank with this donation through our Helping Hungry Homes donation program,” said Dennis Pittman, Smithfield Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs. “This donation will provide more than 100,000 servings of much-needed protein to families and individuals in the area who suffer from food insecurity.”

Helping Hungry Homes, now in its eighth year, is Smithfield’s coast-to-coast program to help families and individuals become more food secure. Throughout 2016, the company will donate more than 3.4 million servings of protein to food banks nationwide to raise awareness of food insecurity and help alleviate hunger in local communities. To date, the program has provided more than 37 million servings of protein to food banks across America.

About SmithfieldA leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the “Ham Capital of the World.” From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield's products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield FoodsSmithfield Foods is a $15 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®, John Morrell®, Gwaltney®, Nathan's Famous®, Kretschmar®, Margherita®, Curly's®, Carando® 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.

About the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that has provided food for people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina for more than 30 years. The Food Bank serves a network of more than 800 partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults through warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, the Sandhills (Southern Pines), and Wilmington. In fiscal year 2014-2015, the Food Bank distributed more than 57 million pounds of food and non-food essentials through these agencies. Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. In these counties, nearly 650,000 people struggle to access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for an active and healthy life. www.foodbankcenc.org.

About Harris TeeterHarris Teeter, with headquarters in Matthews, N.C., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR). The regional grocery chain employs approximately 28,000 associates and operates stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Florida and the District of Columbia.

About the Smithfield Growers ExpoThe 2016 Smithfield Hog Production Growers Expo will occur March 22-23, 2016. The event is being put on collaboratively by Smithfield Hog Production and Murphy Brown Grain. The event offers educational opportunities to students in an effort to educate youth in 21st-century technology and train them in the future of agriculture. The event also features a traditional vendor expo featuring merchants from all over the world displaying the latest in agricultural equipment and new technology. The Expo offers tremendous opportunities for interaction between students, swine growers, grain producers, and vendors. For more information visit http://murphybrownvendorexpo.com/.

Media Contacts:
Hunter PR for Smithfield
Elisabeth Garcia
(212) 679-6600
[email protected]

Harris Teeter
Lea Ramsey
(704) 844-3209
[email protected]

Smithfield
Diana Souder
(757) 357-1675
[email protected]

Growers Expo
Don Butler
(910) 590-6300
[email protected]

Food Bank CENC
Jennifer Caslin
(910) 508-0547
[email protected] 

Source: Smithfield Foods

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