Tyson Foods Donates $1 Million to The Jones Center

Tyson Foods Inc. announced Monday a donation of $1 million to The Jones Center. The gift will be paid over the next five years and used for general operating expenses, according to a Tyson news release.

 “We are so appreciative of this important donation,” Ed Clifford, president and CEO of the Jones Trust and The Jones Center, said in the release.  “Our recreation facilities, meeting space and conference center are state of the art, and our mission is to serve as many people as possible. We strive to improve the quality of life in our region every day. This very generous Tyson Foods donation allows us to fulfill that mission, as well as continue to partner with the company to make Northwest Arkansas healthier and a great place to live and work.”

The Jones Center is a community and recreation center designed to serve families. TFI has given $3 million to the Springdale facility in the last decade.

The Jones Center is a 220,000-SF facility that opened in 1995 as a legacy gift from local philanthropist Bernice Jones. 

It provides multi-generational social, education, business and recreational opportunities to an estimated one million visitors annually.  The Jones Center

“The Jones Center is such a huge part of this community,” Russell Tooley said in the release. Tooley is Tyson Foods’ senior vice president of corporate and international human resources, and a member of the Jones Trust board of directors. “By strengthening this community center, we are strengthening all of Northwest Arkansas, including the thousands of Tyson Foods’ team members who live and work here.”