search
menu
chevron_leftMAIN MENU

About Us

GOOD IS WHAT WE DO

GOOD IS WHAT WE DO

View the campaign
At Smithfield Foods, “good” doesn’t stop with our products — it’s in everything we do.
chevron_leftMAIN MENU

Careers

Opportunities for career advancement and one of the best safety records in the industry.

About Us

GOOD IS WHAT WE DO

GOOD IS WHAT WE DO

At Smithfield Foods, “good” doesn’t stop with our products — it’s in everything we do.View the campaign

Careers

JOIN THE TEAM

JOIN THE TEAM

Opportunities for career advancement and one of the best safety records in the industry.Search opportunities
Search

Smithfield Foods Partners with Oklahoma Pork to Donate 33,000 Pounds of Pork During Hunger Action Month

Smithfield Foods

Community Support

September 30, 2024

Oklahoma City – Smithfield Foods, in partnership with the Oklahoma Pork Council, closed out Hunger Action Month today with an astounding 33,000-pound pork donation to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

Luis Alvarez Reyes, production manager, Smithfield Foods; Roy Cansler, pig farmer and board member, Oklahoma Pork Council; Caleb Dixon, chief operations officer, Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma; Cathy Vaughan, safety manager, Smithfield Foods and board member, Oklahoma Pork Council; Kylee Deniz, executive director, Oklahoma Pork Council; Danean Metheney, nursery/finishing complex manager, Smithfield Foods; Travis Vaughan, production director, Smithfield Foods; Jaye Daily, veterinarian assistant, Smithfield Foods; Anel Coellar Sanchez, human resources generalist, Smithfield Foods; and Secretary Blayne Arthur, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, celebrate Hunger Action Month with a protein donation to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

“At Smithfield Foods, we take the honor of feeding our neighbors very seriously,” said Cathy Vaughan, Smithfield’s safety manager and Oklahoma Pork Council board member. “We are proud of the work we do, and what a joy it is to share our high-quality products with families in need. With hog production operations located in Laverne, Oklahoma, we continually look for ways to give within the local community, and we are grateful to also have broader opportunities like this one to make a huge impact across the state.”

Each September, the Feeding America network of food banks celebrate Hunger Action Month (H.A.M.) to mobilize volunteers and solicit donations in a continued effort to reduce food insecurity.

Thanks to encouragement from Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur in 2021 when noticing pork’s potential spotlight thanks to the H.A.M. acronym, Oklahoma Pork has worked with our members to encourage large scale donations like this one during September over the past four years.

“There’s so much to celebrate here,” shared Kylee Deniz, Oklahoma Pork’s executive director. “We have a fantastic champion of our state’s livestock producers in Secretary Arthur. We have incredibly generous members like Cathy and her team at Smithfield Foods. And, we have an inspiring partner in the Regional Food Bank who will deploy this massive donation across our state in record time.”

Smithfield’s donation, equivalent to 132,000 servings of protein, included nutritious pork products of hams, bacon and more. The semi-truck full of food will be made available to the Regional Food Bank’s network of partners in communities throughout 53 central and western Oklahoma counties.

"We are so grateful for this generous collaboration. This is the perfect end to Hunger Action Month and will help provide thousands of nutritious meals to rural and urban communities across central and western Oklahoma,” said Stacy Dykstra, chief executive officer of the Regional Food Bank.

The Oklahoma Pork Council and Smithfield Foods encourage other pork producers to find opportunities to donate food, funds, or time to the Regional Food Bank or local feeding partners across the state. Click here to learn more.

 

About Oklahoma Pork Council

The Oklahoma Pork Council, a farmer-led organization, represents the interests of all Oklahoma pig farmers. From large-scale commercial operators to first-time 4-H and FFA exhibitors, we hope every Oklahoman who raises pigs has been positively impacted by our mission. Partially funded by federally collected Pork Checkoff dollars, Oklahoma Pork promotes pork consumption, funds research, and educates consumers about the pork industry. For more information about this or any other programs of the Oklahoma Pork Council visit www.okpork.org or call 405-232-3781.

About Smithfield Foods, Inc.

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.

Smithfield Foods
 
© 2024 Smithfield Foods, Inc