Oregonians helped win a truckload of food in national contest
In November, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA) reported that 49 million Americans, including nearly 17 million children are food insecure. This is an increase of 36 percent over the previous year. In Oregon, 1,983 people committed to do their part to end hunger in America as part of WeCanEndThis.com’s digital can drive contest. As a result, Tyson Foods donated more than 30,000 pounds of much-needed protein to Oregon Food Bank.
“This significant food donation from Tyson will allow us to impact lives when the need for food has never been greater,” said Rachel Bristol, CEO of Oregon Food Bank. “Donations of poultry and other high-protein foods are especially valuable as they allow us to provide our agencies throughout the Oregon Food Bank Network with more healthy, nutritious options.”
One in five Oregonians face hunger. In 2009, the Oregon Food Bank Network, made up of 20 regional food banks and 935 local agencies, distributed a record 66.2 million pounds of food throughout the state. Rising unemployment and foreclosures caused by the current economic recession has resulted in 240,000 people per month eating meals from emergency food boxes last year, up from 200,000 the previous year. Of the people seeking food assistance, 36 percent are children.
“It’s more urgent than ever to bring support and hunger relief to food-insecure families throughout the U.S.,” said Donnie Smith, president and CEO for Tyson Foods. “At Tyson, our Team Members are proud to be part of the ongoing relief efforts.”
WeCanEndThis.com is a yearlong initiative to shift the conversation about hunger in America and create real, tangible solutions to fight the problem. On March 4, Feeding America (of which OFB is a member), Share Our Strength, Tyson Foods and other corporate sponsors kicked off a 15-day digital can drive to reward people who commit to take action. Every person who committed to give, share or volunteer was able to donate a digital can of food to the state of their choice. The top 10 states with the most cans each won a semi-truckload of real food. Overall, 19,685 people pledged to do their part to fight hunger in America. Oregon placed third with 1,983 digital cans.
Since 2000, Tyson Foods has been a leader in the fight against hunger. The company is actively engaged in food-donation events and fund-raising activities year-round to benefit those in need. The protein given by Tyson today brings the company’s total in-kind donations since 2000 to more than 75 million pounds. This milestone equates to more than 296 million meals donated to food banks and agencies serving local communities around the country. Last year 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 http://hungerrelief.tyson.com/.
Oregon Food Bank
Oregon Food Bank is a nonprofit, charitable organization. It is the hub of a statewide network of more than 935 local partner agencies serving Oregon and Clark County, Wash. OFB recovers food from farms, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, individuals and government sources. It then distributes that food to 20 regional food banks across Oregon. OFB also works to eliminate the root causes of hunger through advocacy and public education.
WeCanEndThis – is a yearlong initiative to spark innovation and a broader engagement in the movement to end hunger in America. We’ve brought together Share Our Strength, Feeding America, Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, Mashable, PepsiCo, ConAgra Foods Foundation, Tyson Foods and dozens of other organizations from across the nation for this project. Throughout 2010, WeCanEndThis will work with forward thinking business, government, and civic innovators to share their thoughts and ideas on how we can end hunger in America. We will ask them to offer specific solutions to specific issues and challenges. WeCanEndThis will release a three-part e-book series with these new ideas over the course of 2010 free of charge. For more information, visit www.wecanendthis.com or twitter.com/wecanendthis.
Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN - News), founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is one of the world's largest processors and marketers of chicken, beef and pork, the second-largest food production company in the Fortune 500 and a member of the S&P 500. The company produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves. Tyson provides products and services to customers throughout the United States and more than 90 countries. The company has approximately 117,000 Team Members employed at more than 400 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.
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