Partnership provides more than 37,000 meals for people in the Redwood Empire and raises awareness of hunger in area
Sonoma, CA (June 24, 2013)-Farmland Foods has announced a $20,000 donation to the Redwood Empire Food Bank serving Sonoma County, Calif., as part of an expanding effort by the company to raise awareness of hunger issues around the country. Today’s announcement follows more than $80,000 in donations in Phoenix; Las Vegas; Fontana, Calif.; and Kansas City, Mo., earlier this year as part of Farmland’s partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports to promote hunger awareness in race communities.
In addition to the $20,000, 43 cases of Hickory Smoked Bacon were donated in honor of the legendary No. 43 Ford made famous by Richard Petty. The bacon donation will help to ensure families, children and seniors in Sonoma County have access to much-needed protein.
“At Farmland, we want to take every measure we can to combat hunger just like our partners at local food banks,” said Brendan Smith, Vice President of Marketing. “We are excited to expand our work with Richard Petty Motorsports and partner with the Redwood Empire Food Bank to provide more than 37,000 meals to Sonoma County families in need.”
Farmland is raising awareness about hunger issues in a growing number of communities in conjunction with race weekends for the famous No. 43 car, and in partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports.
“Our team is proud to partner with Farmland in fighting hunger,” said Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 43 Ford. “Communities across the country are facing a growing hunger challenge, and we are excited to kick off race weekend by partnering with Farmland to make a difference in Sonoma County.”
In March and April, as part of this growing effort, Farmland donated $20,000 and 43 cases of Oven Perfect to St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix, Ariz., to Three Square Food Bank in Las Vegas, and to Harvesters – The Community Food Network in Kansas City, Mo., and $20,000 and 43 cases of Hickory Smoked Bacon to Second Harvest Food Bank serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, Calif. Together with today’s donation, Farmland has helped provide more than half a million meals in five communities in 2013.
In fiscal year 2012, Helping Hungry Homes provided 6.9 million food servings through school nutrition programs, food banks, disaster relief and community outreach efforts.
“Farmland Foods understands the importance of answering the question, ‘What’s for dinner tonight?’ Their generous donation of food for the center-of-the-plate means that families in need throughout our community will have a well-balanced and nutritious meal,” said David Goodman, executive director of The Redwood Empire Food Bank. “The fact that Farmland Foods takes their generosity on the road means that they are winners both on the track, and in every community in which they race. On behalf of 78,000 people who seek food assistance from the Redwood Empire Food Bank every month, we welcome Farmland Foods to Sonoma Raceway.”
About Farmland Foods
Farmland Foods, Inc., based in Kansas City, Mo., provides a broad selection of pork products to retail and foodservice customers in the United States and abroad across a variety of categories, including bacon, fresh pork, hams, fresh sausage, hot dogs and lunchmeat. Farmland Foods has a large and growing international business, exporting products to more than 60 countries across six continents. Since its founding in 1959, the company has maintained a proud heritage of working side by side with American farm families. Farmland Foods, which reached more than $4 billion in sales in 2011, is a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods. To learn more about Farmland Foods, please visit www.farmlandfoods.com.
About The Redwood Empire Food Bank of Sonoma County
The Redwood Empire Food Bank, located in Santa Rosa, Calif., operates three strategic hunger initiatives in an effort to effectively alleviate hunger problems. Every Child, Every Day, Senior Security, and Neighborhood Hunger Network are programs designed to locate hunger and provide food security to residents of all ages in Sonoma County. The Redwood Empire Food Bank along with its 166 partnering organizations distribute more than 13 million pounds of food annually. This equates to providing 28,500 meals every day and serving more than 78,000 people every month.
About Richard Petty Motorsports:
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneurs Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force and STP and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.
