Smithfield Foods donates more than 35,000 pounds of food to Northwest Arkansas Food Bank

Global food company Smithfield Foods of Virginia has donated more than 35,000 pounds of protein to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, a nonprofit that works to alleviate hunger in the area. The donation, equivalent to more than 140,000 servings, was made Thursday (June 29) at an event in Lowell and was given through Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes initiative.

“Each day, we work diligently as a team to achieve our mission of feeding our neighbors in need, but that is not possible without donations of healthy, nutritious food,” Kent Eikenberry, president and CEO of Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, said in a statement. “Today’s donation from Smithfield Foods, which is the second donation this year, better positions us to fulfill our promise to our community and provide thousands of wholesome meals to those struggling with hunger.”

Smithfield made a 25,000-pound donation to the NWA Food Bank in March.

The NWA Food Bank was founded in 1988 and serves more than 85,000 residents in Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison counties, and annually distributes more than 11.5 million pounds of food.