Farmland Foods: From Scrap Metal To Scholarships--Summer 2010 Edition

Smithfield is proud to recognize Farmland Foods for making a concerted effort to preserve the environment while at the same time assisting its employees. One way they are achieving this goal is through Environmental Scholarships for high school seniors.

In 2007, the Crete and Monmouth facilities of Farmland Foods wanted to find a way to use the money they were receiving from increased recycling of scrap metal and other materials in a meaningful way. Their waste minimalization teams wanted to share the monetary rewards of these recycling endeavors with the surrounding community, and with their employees.

As a result, a fund of approximately $10,000 was set up to give scholarships to the sons and daughters of Farmland employees. These scholarships were given to high school seniors with the hopes that they would display an interest in helping to preserve the environment after the completion of their posthigh school education. The scholarships encourage the graduates to consider the environment and how it could be affected by their future jobs, no matter which career path they choose.

Because of these efforts, the Crete facility received a President's Environmental Excellence Award from Smithfield Foods in 2007, and the Monmouth facility received one in 2008. Since that time they continue to distribute the scholarships; each facility has now awarded almost 30 scholarships! All this was made possible by the increased recycling efforts of the waste minimalization teams at these facilities.
Just one more example of how better environmental stewardship can lead to other fantastic results!