|
Home > Press Room > 2007 > Press Release
Press Release
America’s Second Harvest, LULAC
and Tyson Foods Team Up to Fight Hunger.
Tyson Foods announces donation of one million
pounds of protein over the next three years and
an initial donation of 35,000 pounds to the
Chicago Food Depository.
July 10, 2007
Contact:
Gary Mickelson, Tyson Foods, Inc., 479-290-6111
Cydnee Cochran, Mitchell Communications Group,
479-254-8618
or 479-366-8618 cydnee@mitchcommgroup.com
CHICAGO, July 10, 2007 – Three
leaders in very different fields are uniting to
address the issue of hunger among Latino
communities in the U.S. Today, the League of
United Latin American Citizens (LULAC),
America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food
Bank Network (A2H), and Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:
TSN) announced that the three organizations have
formed a coalition that will produce an in-depth
study of the extent and root causes of hunger
among Latinos. The announcement was made at
Chicago’s Navy Pier in conjunction with LULAC’s
annual convention, which is currently underway
in Chicago. Tyson Foods also pledged to donate
one million pounds of food over a period of
three years to America’s Second Harvest
foodbanks serving Latino and Hispanic
populations. To announce the collaboration and
to kick-off the pledge, representatives from
Tyson Foods made an initial donation of a
truckload of more than 35,000 pounds of protein
products to the Chicago Food Depository, whose
member agencies serve Latino communities in the
Chicago area.
“These three organizations are
uniquely qualified to address the issue of
hunger in Latino communities,” said Vicki
Escarra, president and CEO of America’s Second
Harvest. “We have worked with Tyson Foods for
years to help alleviate hunger across the
country, and by working with LULAC, we can
specifically target hunger among the Latino
population.” According to the 2007 Hunger
Almanac, the nation’s most comprehensive guide
to understanding the facts about domestic hunger
and poverty, approximately 17 percent of
individuals who are served by foodbanks in
America’s Second Harvest’s network are Latino or
Hispanic.
“Food security is a human
right and LULAC believes everyone should have
access to nutritional and culturally relevant
food” said Rosa Rosales, National LULAC
President. “We are excited about partnering with
American’s Second Harvest and Tyson Foods to
meet the moral obligation that we have as
leaders to participate in meaningful efforts to
ensure no one goes to bed hungry.”
The ongoing partnership will
draw on the strengths of all of the partners to
explore the issue of hunger in Latino
populations, and to initiate solutions where
possible. Some potential questions that could be
addressed in ongoing research include: How does
the percentage of the Latino population
utilizing foodbank-served resources compare with
other populations? If Latinos in need are not
accessing social services provided by hunger
relief agencies, why not? What is the role of
faith-based organizations in serving this
population? Are there cultural differences
between Latinos of different countries of origin
relevant to this issue? How do social support
systems in other countries differ from those in
the U.S.?
Protein is one of the most
efficient and long lasting sources of energy.
The protein products donated by Tyson Foods are
among the most concentrated sources of
protein—an essential nutrient of life. The
average person—man, woman or child—needs to eat
about 0.4 grams of protein for every pound of
body weight, every day. This is approximately
equivalent to five ounces of chicken, beef or
pork.
About Hunger Relief Nationwide
Tyson has made significant impact on the fight
against hunger nationwide through a partnership
with Share Our Strength®, and America’s Second
Harvest-The Nation’s Food Bank Network. Share
Our Strength® is a nonprofit agency that
inspires and organizes individuals and
businesses to share their strengths in
innovative ways to help end childhood hunger in
the United States. America’s Second Harvest is
the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief
organization in the country with more than 200
food banks in its network.
Since Tyson’s partnership with
hunger relief organizations began in 2000, the
company has provided more than 42 million pounds
of chicken, beef and pork – supplying more than
168 million meals with essential protein – to
benefit more than 400 hunger relief
organizations across the U.S. Tyson has made a
significant impact, leading the fight against
hunger through its ongoing partnerships with
America’s Second Harvest, Share Our Strength,
Lift Up America and others.
According to the Census
Bureau’s Current Population Survey released in
August 2005 which studied conditions in 2004,
the poverty rate in America rose by 4 percent to
35.9 million people, one-third of which are
children.
For more information on how to
get involved in the fight against hunger, go to
www.tyson.com, http://www.secondharvest.org/ or
www.strength.org
America's Second Harvest® —
The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest
charitable domestic hunger-relief organization
in the country with a Network of more than 200
Member food banks and food - rescue programs
serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia
and Puerto Rico. The America's Second Harvest
Network secures and distributes more than 2
billion pounds of donated food and grocery
products annually; and supports approximately
50,000 local charitable agencies operating more
than 94,000 programs including food pantries,
soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school
programs, and Kids Cafes. Last year, the
America's Second Harvest Network provided food
assistance to more than 23 million low-income
hungry people in the United States, including
more than 9 million children and nearly 3
million seniors. For more on America's Second
Harvest, please visit www.secondharvest.org
League of United Latino
American Citizens (LULAC) has approximately
115,000 members throughout the United States and
Puerto Rico. It is the largest and oldest
Hispanic organization in the United States.
LULAC advances the economic condition,
educational attainment, political influence,
health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans
through community-based programs operating at
more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide. The
organization involves and serves all Hispanic
nationality groups. For more information, go to
www.lulac.org
Tyson Foods, Inc.,
www.tyson.com, [NYSE: TSN], founded in 1935 with
headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is the
world’s largest processor and marketer of
chicken, beef, and pork, the second-largest food
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 throughout the
United States and more than 80 countries. The
company has approximately 110,000 Team Members
employed at more than 300 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.
###
|
