Smithfield, Kroger, and Richard Petty Motorsports partner to donation 25,000 pounds of protein to area food bank

This morning, Smithfield partnered with Kroger and Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) to donate 25,000 pounds of protein to the Tarrant Area Food Bank to help serve North Texas communities. This considerable donation, in celebration of the race weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, was part of Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes tour, the company’s coast-to-coast effort to help families and individuals become more food secure.
 
“The King” Richard Petty and RPM’s No. 43 driver Aric Almirola, who have partnered with the Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes program to donate thousands of pounds of protein over recent years, were present to discuss the importance of these donations from Smithfield and to raise awareness about the necessity of providing assistance to our neighbors in need. Smithfield is the primary sponsor of the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford race team.
 
Petty and Almirola joined representatives from Smithfield and Kroger to present the donation to Tarrant Area Food Bank on Friday, November 6 at 9:30 a.m. at the Kroger store located at 3300 Texas Sage Trail, Fort Worth, TX 76177.

“With meat being one of the more expensive sources of protein and less often donated than other protein-rich foods, Tarrant Area Food Bank is especially grateful for Smithfield’s donation of 25,000 pounds of meat,” said Bo Soderbergh, Executive Director for Tarrant Area Food Bank. “This donation will provide protein for approximately 100,000 or more servings.”
 
“Kroger is pleased to see such a significant donation of protein to the Tarrant Area Food Bank,” said Gary Huddleston, Kroger Director of Public Affairs. “Shelf-stable items are the most common type of food donation, so it’s great for the Food Bank to have fresh protein for its clients. We salute Smithfield for their generosity and for the difference they are making in our community.”
 
“Smithfield has made more than 240 donations across the country under the company’s Helping Hungry Homes program. Through this donation, we will provide more than 100,000 servings of much-needed protein to families in North Texas,” said Dennis Pittman, Smithfield Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs. “We’re proud to partner with Kroger and RPM to make this significant donation that will help alleviate hunger in the North Texas area.”
 
“The No. 43 RPM team is honored to participate in this donation with our sponsor, Smithfield,” said No. 43 team owner Richard Petty. “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.”
 

Smithfield Foods has a long history of stocking food banks, supporting after-school nutrition programs and providing food relief in the wake of natural disasters. In January 2008, Smithfield established its Helping Hungry Homes® initiative to help ensure that American families in need do not go hungry.

RPM PR