Company donates more than 30,000 pounds of protein to Mercy Chefs to serve free, hot meals to Hurricane Helene flooding victims, first responders and volunteers

SMITHFIELD, Va., Oct. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Smithfield Foods delivered more than 30,000 pounds of protein to Mercy Chefs, a Virginia-based nonprofit disaster and humanitarian relief organization, to support Western North Carolina communities and residents recovering from Hurricane Helene.

"Devastation across Western North Carolina has left many residents displaced from their homes without basic essentials like water and electricity, leaving them wondering where their next meal may come from," said Steve Evans, vice president of community development for Smithfield Foods. "Through our partnership with Mercy Chefs, we are deploying support to our neighbors who are suffering from the catastrophic impacts of the hurricane."

Donated food items included ribs, tenderloins and pork chops, and will provide more than 120,000 servings of protein.

Mercy Chefs' mobile kitchen, capable of serving up to 20,000 hot meals a day, is providing free food in Asheville, North Carolina, to anyone in the community in need. The team is also distributing meals to those unable to make it to the base of operations. To donate or find out how to volunteer locally, visit mercychefs.com/donate-helene.

"Mercy Chefs is bringing hope in the form of a hot meal to those who are hurting and have found themselves in an unimaginable place after Hurricane Helene," said Gary LeBlanc, founder and CEO for Mercy Chefs. "This is some of the worst devastation I have witnessed in nearly 20 years of responding to disasters. Thanks to the support from Smithfield Foods, we can nourish thousands of residents and emergency workers across Western North Carolina, reminding them that they are not forgotten during this challenging time."

North Carolina Pork Council also donated $5,000 to Mercy Chefs for recovery assistance.

"There is an overwhelming need for supplies and resources in Western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene's aftermath," said Roy Lee Lindsey, CEO for the North Carolina Pork Council. "We're proud to partner with Smithfield Foods and Mercy Chefs to provide free, hot meals to flooding victims, first responders and volunteers as the community continues to recover from this tragic disaster."

In addition, employees at Smithfield's Tar Heel, North Carolina, facility collected more than 795 pounds of nonperishable food items that will be distributed by Clarkton Volunteer Fire Department to disaster victims. North Carolina is home to approximately 10,000 Smithfield employees and their families and is a large footprint of Smithfield's operations.

Smithfield has also coordinated with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture to dispatch two refrigerated commercial trucks and 24 pallets of water to aid in recovery efforts.  

Smithfield's hunger relief program, Helping Hungry Homes®, has provided hundreds of millions of servings of protein all 50 U.S. states since 2008. Smithfield donated nearly 28 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs across the U.S. in 2023 and has pledged to donate 200 million servings of protein by 2025.

For more information about Smithfield's programs to support local communities, please visit smithfieldfoods.com/helping-communities. 

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is an American food company with a leading position in packaged meats and fresh pork products. With a diverse brand portfolio and strong relationships with U.S. farmers and customers, we responsibly meet demand for quality protein around the world.

About Mercy Chefs
 Mercy Chefs is a 501c3 founded in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The organization exists to provide professionally prepared, restaurant-quality meals to victims, volunteers, and first responders in natural disasters and national emergencies and partners with existing ministries with food service in underserved communities around the country. Since its founding, Mercy Chefs has served 27 million meals. In 2020, Mercy Chefs founder Gary LeBlanc was recognized by Southern Living Magazine as a "Hometown Hero," and Mercy Chefs was named the 2020 Small Business of the Year in the nonprofit category by Inside Business and the Hampton Roads Chamber. In 2015, it received both the Virginia Governor's Volunteerism Award and the Hampton Roads Volunteer Achievement Award for its service.

For more information, visit MercyChefs.com.

About North Carolina Pork Council
The North Carolina Pork Council is the voice of North Carolina's pork industry, representing pork producers and the partners who support them. North Carolina is the nation's third largest pork producer with 2,300 farms that raise 12 million hogs each year. North Carolina's pork industry supports 44,000 jobs and contributes more than $10 billion to the state's economy. Learn more at ncpork.org.

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SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.