UFCW's Feeding The Hungry program is teaming up this week with Smithfieldand other companies as part of Al Roker's annual Lend a Hand TODAY Show Roadtrip.
UFCW’s Feeding the Hungry program is teaming up this week with Smithfield and other companies as part of the annual Lend a Hand TODAY Roadtrip—led by Al Roker’s Lend a Hand charity group. Tune in to the TODAY show this week to see what happens! The UFCW’s partnership with Lend a Hand is one of many ways our members and our locals are involved in programs to help the hungry and provide for those in need. Our Feeding the Hungry program, a joint venture with Smithfield, is a three-year, multi-city, coast to coast effort to donate and deliver more than 20 million servings of protein to food banks.
To learn more about UFCW Feeding the Hungry, visit UFCW.org
Today’s release:
Monday, June 13, 2011
THE UFCW AND SMITHFIELD JOIN TODAY’S “LEND A HAND” CAMPAIGN WITH 120,000 SERVINGS OF PROTEIN TO BENEFIT ANCHORAGE CHARITIESANCHORAGE, Alaska – (June 13, 2011) – Delighted to join TODAY’s 10th annual “Lend a Hand” campaign with Al Roker, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) and Smithfield delivered 120,000 servings of protein to local charitable agencies through Food Bank of Alaska. The donation took place at Alaska Native Heritage Center early this morning at 3:00 a.m.
Alaska Native Heritage Center is the first of five stops on the philanthropic journey around the country shedding light on charitable organizations making tremendous impacts on their communities. Alaska Native Heritage Center is a cultural hub and museum striving to share and support the history and traditions of Alaska’s Native people.
Food Bank of Alaska distributes food to over 300 charitable agencies throughout the state. Each week in 2010, Food Bank of Alaska fed approximately 15,000 different people, more than half of which lived in Anchorage. Forty-two percent of those that received assistance were children under age 18, 30 percent of which lived in single-parent homes.
“Feeding the Hungry” is a joint program of the UFCW and Smithfield to donate and help deliver 20 million servings of protein over three years to food banks around the country. The partnership is designed to bring much needed assistance to the growing number of people facing hunger and food insecurity in our communities.
“Last year we fed over 6 million people and as we take our nationwide Feeding the Hungry Tour on the road for the second year, the UFCW is committed to ensuring that families across the country have the relief and the opportunities they need to weather the current economic crises,” said Joe Hansen, UFCW International President. “All across the country, UFCW members are on the frontlines of efforts to improve and strengthen their communities, and this partnership reflects their unwavering commitment to protect and advocate for families during tough times.”
“Smithfield is proud to continue the second year of our hunger relief tour. We’re well on our way to feeding 20 million people,” said Dennis Pittman, Public Affairs Director, Smithfield. “We hope to continue increasing awareness and encourage individuals and companies to donate to their local food banks.”
About the United Food and Commercial Workers Union
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers, primarily in the retail and meatpacking, food processing and poultry industries. The UFCW protects the rights of workers and strengthens America’s middle class by fighting for health care reform, immigration reform, living wages, retirement security, safe working conditions and the right to unionize so that working men and women and their families can realize the American Dream. For more information about the UFCW’s effort to protect workers’ rights and strengthen America’s middle class, visit www.ufcw.org <http://www.ufcw.org/> .About Smithfield
Smithfield, a name familiar to millions of Americans, is committed to environmental leadership, community involvement, employee safety, animal welfare and high-quality food. It is seeking to help the people of Alaska by providing these needed servings of protein. For more information, visit www.smithfield.com <http://www.smithfield.com/> and www.facebook.com/CookingwithSmithfield <http://www.facebook.com/CookingwithSmithfield> .
