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On Paula Deen is pictured here at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C. on November 7.

Paula Deen helps unload the Smithfield Foods donation truck for the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C.

We are continuing to help offset the needs of families at risk of hunger during these uncertain economic times, through our Helping Hungry Homes™ program, in collaboration with our spokesperson, Paula Deen.

On September 12, Smithfield Foods donated 38,000 pounds of ham to the Southeastern Virginia Foodbank and the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula. Spokesperson Paula Deen helped unload the truck and met with Virginia Wesleyan's Cooking for Kids. Smithfield contributed another 25,000 pounds of ham to the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C. on November 7. Already challenged with the highest U.S. poverty rate for school-age children, the food bank has experienced a 248 percent increase in calls to its emergency food-referral line in the last six months. The poverty rate for children aged five to 17 in D.C. is 51.3 percent, which means one in every two children in the metropolitan area is at risk of going hungry.

“We want to do whatever we can to make things better for families who are experiencing tough times,” said Deen. “At some point in our lives, we’ve either needed some help or known others who need help. This is a chance to join together to help those in need, particularly our children. It breaks my heart to think of kids going to bed hungry every night. All of us have to do something about it.”

Combined with a similar donation Smithfield Foods made last spring, Helping Hungry Homes has now donated 55,000 pounds of meat to the Capital Area Food Bank this year. The donations equate to approximately 220,000 servings for those facing food insecurity in the Washington, D.C., area.

 “During tight economic times, those who have the least suffer the most,” said C. Larry Pope, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods. “We welcome this opportunity to renew our commitment to feeding families with this donation.”

“Smithfield Foods is a wonderful example of how corporate partners can make a significant impact in the struggle to end hunger,” said Lynn Brantley, president and chief executive officer of the Capital Area Food Bank. “Not only does this donation help the thousands of families who face empty cupboards and suffer quietly, it also shines a spotlight on the escalating issue of hunger during these troubling economic times. We appreciate Smithfield Foods’ commitment to addressing hunger.”

Smithfield Foods’ Helping Hungry Homes initiative was established to help ensure that American families do not go hungry. Smithfield Foods and its independent operating companies have a long history of stocking food banks, supporting after-school nutrition programs and community-based aid groups, and providing food relief in the wake of natural disasters.

Smithfield employees receive a 25% discount (excluding tax & shipping) when ordering from the catalog or online!

Smithfield employees receive a 25% discount (excluding tax & shipping) when ordering from the catalog or online.

To receive the discount for an online order — send an email requesting your discount with the order confirmation attached, identify yourself as a Smithfield Employee with your location and department, and your order total will be adjusted through credit card processing.

For discounts by phone order — simply identify yourself to the representative as a Smithfield Employee with your location and department, mention your discount, and they will handle from there.

This program is effective not only for the holidays but throughout the year regardless of the quantity ordered. The Employee Order Keycode is 2E00.