Harvesters: The Community Food Network today received more than 25,000 pounds of meat to help feed local families, thanks to Smithfield Foods' 10-city Helping Hungry Homes(TM) Across America tour, a hunger relief initiative led by celebrity cook Paula Deen.

The tour's goal is to provide one million servings of meat to the nation's hungry families, including those in the metropolitan Kansas City area, where 43 percent of people receiving emergency food assistance are children and 48 percent of individuals come from a household with at least one working adult, according to Hunger in America statistics.

Paula Deen's sons Jamie and Bobby, who regularly appear on her Food Network shows and have authored their own cookbook, were on hand today to help Harvesters' staff unload a Farmland Foods truck carrying more than 25,000 pounds of Farmland products, including ham, bacon, breakfast sausage, hot dogs and lunch meat. Farmland Foods, Inc. is an independent operating company of Smithfield Foods and is headquartered in Kansas City.

"We're delighted to work with Smithfield Foods and Farmland Foods to help feed the Kansas City area's hungry families," said Bobby Deen. "Our family was shocked to learn how many working hungry there are in America and that's why my mother decided that we had to do something about it."

Jamie Deen added, "We applaud the work of organizations like Harvesters. Their expertise is critical to making sure our Helping Hungry Homes Across America tour realizes its goal of serving one million people across the country."

"This donation makes it possible for thousands of local families to sit down this week to nutritious meals that include much-needed protein," said Karen Haren, president and chief executive officer of Harvesters. "Our network provides food for nearly 60,000 people every week, and this donation from Smithfield Foods really helps."

The Smithfield Foods Helping Hungry Homes tour began in Deen's hometown, Savannah, Ga., on January 14th and has now reached Philadelphia, New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Kansas City. Additional stops include Chicago, New Orleans and Washington, D.C., before concluding in Detroit. Donations are being distributed in each city through local members of America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization.

Smithfield Foods' Helping Hungry Homes initiative was established to help ensure that American families in need do not go hungry. Smithfield Foods and its independent operating companies have a long history of stocking food banks, supporting after-school nutrition programs and providing food relief in the wake of natural disasters. This 10-city tour alone will distribute 250,000 pounds of meat products with an estimated retail value of more than one million dollars.

"Although Smithfield Foods has long been a supporter of hunger relief initiatives, we felt the need to help shine a spotlight on an ever-increasing problem for American families," said Dennis Treacy, vice president of environmental and corporate affairs for Smithfield Foods.

"Providing hunger relief with Paula Deen and her family through our Helping Hungry Homes initiative will remain a high priority throughout our family of companies," Treacy added.

Harvesters is Kansas City's only food bank. Covering a 13-county metropolitan area, Harvesters provides food and related household products to more than 550 not-forprofit agencies including emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, children's homes, homes for the mentally disabled and shelters for battered persons. Together, Harvesters' network serves nearly 60,000 people every week. Harvesters, which was founded in 1979, is a certified member of America's Second Harvest, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks serving all 50 states.

Smithfield Foods is a global food company with operations in 13 countries through wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures. Headquartered in Smithfield, Va., the company produces more than 50 brands of pork, beef and turkey products and more than 200 gourmet foods. Employing more than 57,000 people across the globe, Smithfield Foods is the world's largest producer and processor of pork and a leader in turkey processing, cattle feeding and beef processing.