SPRINGDALE, Ark., Sept. 24, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In 1999, Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) assessed its considerable charitable giving and chose to focus on fighting hunger in the United States.
In May of 2000, Tyson Foods announced a commitment to feed those in need, which, in ten years, has made the company a corporate leader in domestic hunger relief. During the past decade, Tyson has led the U.S. protein industry by donating more than 76 million pounds of Tyson products to hunger and disaster relief, in addition to engaging its own employees, customers and communities in the fight against hunger.
"Since 2000, hunger relief has become a significant part of our company's culture," stated Tyson Foods president and chief executive officer, Donnie Smith. "We have donated food in 48 states -- including the ones where we have plants -- in the past ten years. I'm proud of the way our Team Members have responded in their own communities. We will continue to fight domestic hunger as we go into our second decade of action."
Tyson Foods has established partnerships with the most important and well-recognized hunger relief organizations in the U.S., including Share Our Strength, Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest), and Lift Up America. These partnerships include:
- A six year sponsorship of Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline® program, which teaches food budgeting/ food preparation skills to people at risk of hunger.
- More than fifty food bank donation events each year in communities across America designed to raise public awareness of the issue of hunger.
- Sponsorship of a Student Food Drive, piloted in 18 U.S. communities, which engaged high school students in raising food and funds for their local Feeding America food banks.
Tyson Foods has worked diligently to actively engage its 117,000 Team Members in the fight against hunger. Powering the Spirit™ is the company's internal program in which Team Members raise money for hunger relief. Seventy-five percent of the money raised goes directly to hunger relief programs in the communities in which it is raised. Twenty-five percent goes to Share Our Strength. In five years, Tyson Team Members have raised more than $350,000 in an incredibly diverse array of fundraising activities.
Tyson Foods has done more than deliver food and write checks. The company has been an active member of the passionate community of people and groups involved in the issue of hunger. In 2007, Tyson Foods established an online presence, Tyson Hunger Relief, which includes both a blog and an area wherein users can create recognition for Hunger All-Stars™, those in their own communities doing great work in the fight against hunger. The company also manages a Twitter account focusing on hunger, which now has more than 6500 followers, in addition to a YouTube channel focusing on hunger relief efforts.
During 2010, Tyson Foods has been active in advocating for strong reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, which funds school lunch programs -- the nutritional lifeline for more than 12 million children at risk of hunger, whose primary meal of the day is eaten at school.
In celebration of the company's ten years in hunger relief, Tyson Foods will donate more than one million pounds of food during the month of September, which is national Hunger Action Month.
A video about the company's hunger relief efforts through ten years can be seen at
Tyson Foods and Hunger Relief
Since 2000, Tyson Foods has been the leading donor of nutritious, high-value protein foods to hunger and disaster relief. The company has averaged 50 food bank donation events each year, and sponsors fund-raising activities year-round to benefit those in need. Tyson has donated more than 76 million pounds of food to food banks and disaster relief agencies in the U.S. since 2000. This milestone equates to more than 304 million meals donated to food banks and agencies serving local communities around the country. In 2009 alone, Tyson donated nearly eight million pounds of protein to Feeding America. For more information on how to get involved in the fight against hunger, go to
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CONTACT: Tyson Foods, Inc. Gary Mickelson 479-290-6111 gary.mickelson@tyson.com