Meat+Poultry - January 2022 - 82

GIVING BACK
Kiolbassa Smoked Meats
In December, San Antonio-based
Kiolbassa Smoked Meats celebrated
the first anniversary of its Links of Love
Community Enrichment Program. In
2021, Kiolbassa has donated more than
50 tons of Links of Love product to 26
cities throughout the United States. These
donations equate to over 589,000 individual
servings distributed to those in need since
November 2020.
The donations were delivered to food
banks and to disaster relief efforts such
as Hurricane Ida in New Orleans, and the
condominium building collapse in Miami.
" Since we opened our doors in 1949, my
grandfather would feed anyone in need, "
said Michael Kiolbassa, chief executive
officer of Kiolbassa Smoked Meats. " We are
carrying on our family tradition of giving
back by specifically targeting those we think
are in the most critical times of their lives. "
Kiolbassa's Links of Love community
enrichment initiative is a national program
focused on improving the lives of people
who are suffering from food insecurity or
unfortunately affected by natural disasters.
" We have learned quite a bit over the
past year while making these donations, "
said Wendy Stiles, Kiolbassa's community
enrichment director. " We understand that
protein is hard to come by when people
are experiencing hardship. "
Tyson Foods
Feed the Children, a leading nonprofit
focused on alleviating childhood hunger,
Tyson Foods and Americold conducted
a 10-city " Alliance to Defeat Hunger "
tour from June through September,
by providing food and essentials to
vulnerable families. During the fourmonth
initiative, the organizations served
thousands of families, supplementing
nearly 2 million meals and providing more
than 250 tons of foods and essentials to
families valued at nearly $1.9 million. This
includes more than 173 tons of protein
items from Tyson Foods as well as 85 tons
of nonperishable food items, household
essentials and educational supplies.
The tour included stops in Oklahoma
City; Springdale, Ark.; Tolleson, Ariz.; New
Holland, Pa.; Garden City, Kan.; Sanford,
NC; Pasco, Wash.; Sioux City, Iowa;
Amarillo, Texas; and Sebree, Ky.
" We're proud to be a part of this tour
that has helped so many families in rural
communities across the United States, "
said Debra Vernon, senior director,
corporate social responsibility, Tyson
Foods. " We're committed to supporting
hunger relief efforts across the country,
and this initiative has provided critical
resources to those who need it most. "
82 MEAT+POULTRY | 01.22 | www.meatpoultry.com
Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods Inc., donated a combined
total of 80,000 lbs of protein to aid in
local hunger relief to Feeding Southwest
Virginia and Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
This donation will provide more than
320,000 servings of much-needed protein
to families throughout the area.
Representatives from Smithfield
presented the donations during events that
took place on Nov. 23 at each respective
food bank. This donation is part of
Smithfield Foods' Helping Hungry Homes
initiative, the company's coast-to-coast
effort to help families and individuals
become more food secure. Since 2008,
the company has donated hundreds
of millions of protein servings to food
banks, community outreach programs and
disaster-relief efforts in all 50 states.
Jennie-O
Turkey Store
Jennie-O Turkey Store
teamed up with YouTube
star MrBeast (Jimmy
Donaldson), and his
501c3 organization,
Beast Philanthropy, to
make this Thanksgiving
better for those in need.
Jennie-O donated 10,000
turkeys (a $266,000
donation, equal to 120,000
servings of turkey).
The Nov. 7 event took
place at the Pitt County
Fairgrounds and drew
almost 700 volunteers.
" Jennie-O is thrilled
to partner with MrBeast,
who shares our
commitment to giving
back to the community, "
said Nicole Behne, vice
president of marketing at
Jennie-O. " Every family
should be able to enjoy a
delicious Jennie-O turkey
on Thanksgiving, and
we're honored to be able
to provide for thousands
of families in need. "
" We fed thousands of
families with this event,
and none of this would
have happened without
Jennie-O, " Donaldson
said. " It's incredible
seeing brands joining
Beast Philanthropy's
mission to tackle food
insecurity. Literally
tens of thousands of
people are going to have
a free turkey on their
table because of our
distribution, and that's
awesome. "
Hormel Foods Corp.,
the parent company of
Jennie-O, also donated
Skippy peanut butter and
Hormel Pepperoni Stix.
Smithfield Foods
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