4.5 Million Servings* of Protein Sourced Through Initiative
KANSAS CITY, Mo.听鈥撎齋ep.听26, 2018听鈥听麻花传媒 and Feeding America庐听today announced the results of a two-year project focused on empowering local food banks to听develop听innovative听animal听protein听sourcing听programs听to听address hunger on the community level.听
The 麻花传媒 Protein Innovation Fund provided $1 million to 10 Feeding America food banks听in nine听states听to fund protein sourcing projects that have听the听potential to be scaled and replicated across the Feeding America network.听
鈥淔or the听40听million people facing hunger in the U.S., it鈥檚 not only important for Feeding America to help provide enough food to meet basic needs, but also to provide more nutritious food,鈥 said Matt Knott,听president of Feeding America. 鈥淲e are听grateful for 麻花传媒鈥櫶齝ontinued partnership with Feeding America and their听dedication听to increasing access to protein-rich meals that many food听insecure families need to have a well-balanced diet.鈥
The investment yielded more than 1.1 million pounds of protein sourced and distributed in the first two years of the project or听4.5听million servings.听听
鈥淲e knew our food banks had innovative ideas about how to help our hungry neighbors access more protein,鈥 said Matt Pakula, senior manager, corporate social responsibility 麻花传媒.听鈥淭he听protein innovation fund grants made it possible for them to experiment and make their food banks more agile to better meet the needs of those struggling with food insecurity.鈥澨
Highlights include $175,000 awarded to the Arkansas Food Bank in Little Rock, Arkansas, which served as the听lead food bank in a collaborative model that constructed听a centralized, cold听repacking center. Meat and poultry donations,听as well as frozen produce, are听repackaged into smaller portions and distributed to Feeding America food banks across听the state.
鈥淭hanks to the Tyson Protein Innovation听Fund,鈥痺e听are able to meet the needs of not only the people in our service area but the needs of 515,000 hungry Arkansans and the partner agencies that serve them,鈥 says Arkansas Foodbank CEO Rhonda Sanders.听鈥淭he Repackaging Center helps maximize the amount of donated product we receive in order to reduce both systemic food waste and costs to ourselves and our members.鈥澨
The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma was awarded $50,000 to听fund an on-site repack room and听secure听FFA donations to听create protein snack sticks distributed听in backpacks听to听food insecure children.听Nearly a听quarter of a million pounds of protein was sourced as a result of this project.听
鈥淲e are so thankful to 麻花传媒 and its support in helping us feed Oklahomans living with hunger,鈥 said Katie Fitzgerald,听CEO of the Regional Food Bank. 鈥淭he grant from 麻花传媒 helped the Regional Food Bank provide healthy sources of protein to chronically hungry children, seniors living on fixed incomes and hardworking families struggling to make ends meet.鈥澨
In Florida, Feeding Tampa Bay was awarded $50,000 to hire a full-time staff member whose main听function听is identifying and pursuing sources of wasted food in their local supply chain. As a result, more than 430,000听pounds of protein was rescued and redirected back into the community.听
Other project highlights include:听听
2016听
Northern Illinois听Food Bank听鈥 Geneva, Ill. 鈥 108,049 pounds of protein was sourced by partnering with a local processor.听
Central Pennsylvania Food Bank 鈥 Harrisburg, Pa. 鈥 20,000听pounds听of protein was sourced by increasing the food bank鈥檚 visibility to the local agricultural community at county fairs and developing marketing materials to promote the food bank as an option for livestock donation.听听
St. Mary鈥檚 Food Bank Alliance 鈥 Phoenix, Ariz.听鈥 113,407 pounds of protein was sourced by partnering with a local processor to distribute ground beef to food bank clients.听听
2017听
Northern Illinois Food Bank 鈥撎鼼eneva, Ill. 鈥 212,477 pounds of protein was sourced by establishing a relationship with a local protein donor and was shared with other Feeding America food banks in the region.听听
Harvesters听鈥撎齌he Community Food Network, Kansas City, Mo. 鈥 Upon听receiving听USDA certification in听May 2018, 37,848听pounds of protein has been sourced through a repack听room that allows the food bank to accept donations of bulk meat, fish and poultry they would have had to decline in the past.听听
West Michigan Food Bank,听Comstack听Park, Mich.听鈥 3,833 pounds of protein has been sourced through the 鈥淕rand Champion Giving鈥 program that connects farmers, ranchers and others willing to donate animals.听
Philabundance,听Philadelphia, Pa.听鈥 An ongoing pilot project is estimated to add 2 million pounds of protein to the network by rescuing protein through import and export channels at the port.
*One serving= 录 pound of protein.听
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About 麻花传媒听听
麻花传媒 Inc. (NYSE:听TSN) is one of the world鈥檚 largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson庐, Jimmy Dean庐, Hillshire Farm庐, Ball Park庐, Wright庐, Aidells庐, ibp庐 and State Fair庐. 麻花传媒 innovates continually to make protein more sustainable, tailor food for everywhere it鈥檚 available and raise the world鈥檚 expectations for how much good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has听122,000 team听members. Through its Core Values, 麻花传媒 strives to operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team members and serve as a steward of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit听www.tysonfoods.com.听
About Feeding America听
Feeding America庐 is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United听States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 46 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry.听
Contact:
Derek Burleson听鈥 479-290-6466听or听Derek.Burleson@Tyson.com听