From staff reports Partnering with the Oklahoma Pork Council, Smithfield Foods recently closed out Hunger Action Month with a 33,000-pound pork donation to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
September has been observed as Hunger Action Month, Feeding America’s nationwide initiative to “raise awareness and inspire action to help people facing the impossible choices of hunger,” the organization’s website states.
Each September since 2008, Feeding America’s network of food banks mobilize volunteers and solicit donations in a continued effort to reduce food insecurity.
The USDA reports that “13.5% (18.0 million) of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2023. The 2023 prevalence of food insecurity was statistically significantly higher than the 12.8% (17.0 million) in 2022.”
“At Smithfield Foods, we take the honor of feeding our neighbors very seriously,” said Cathy Vaughan, Smithfield’s safety manager and Oklahoma Pork Council board member. “We are proud of the work we do, and what a joy it is to share our high-quality products with families in need. With hog production operations located in Laverne, Oklahoma, we continually look for ways to give within the local community, and we are grateful to also have broader opportunities like this one to make a huge impact across the state.”
In 2021, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur noticed the “HAM” acronym’s potential to connect with the pork industry. Since then, the Oklahoma Pork Council has worked with Smithfield Foods to encourage large scale donations like this every September.
“There’s so much to celebrate here,” said Kylee Deniz, Oklahoma Pork Council’s executive director. “We have a fantastic champion of our state’s livestock producers in Secretary Arthur. We have incredibly generous members like Cathy and her team at Smithfield Foods. And, we have an inspiring partner in the Regional Food Bank who will deploy this massive donation across our state in record time.”
Smithfield Foods donated 132,000 servings of protein, including nutrient- dense pork products like ham, bacon, and more. The semi-truck full of food will be made available to the Regional Food Bank’s network of partners in communities throughout 53 central and western Oklahoma counties.
“We are so grateful for this generous collaboration. This is the perfect end to Hunger Action Month and will help provide thousands of nutritious meals to rural and urban communities across central and western Oklahoma,” said Stacy Dykstra, chief executive officer of the Regional Food Bank.
Both organizations encourage other pork producers to donate food, funds or time to the Regional Food Bank or their local feeding partners.