Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey – Sept. 8, 2015 – Tyson Foods, Inc. donated a truckload of chicken today to Community FoodBank of New Jersey’s Southern Branch to help eliminate hunger in the Atlantic City area.
CFBNJ’s Southern Branch, which serves Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties, will distribute the donated food to on-site feeding programs such as soup kitchens.
“We are thrilled to continue to have the support of Tyson Foods and our local American Culinary Federation’s Chefs Association for nearly two decades,” said Evelyn Benton, executive director of CFBNJ’s Southern Branch. “This donation means that literally thousands of New Jersey residents in need will have the benefit of a healthy protein on their plates come this fall.”
For the past 40 years, Community FoodBank of New Jersey has been serving New Jersey’s food-insecure population. CFBNJ’s Southern Branch opened in 1987. Working together, CFBNJ’s Southern Branch and headquarters in Hillside feed people in 17 counties. Someone in need is fed by a CFBNJ partner 4.7 million times a year.
Following the donation, David Goldstein, president of the Professional Chefs Association of South Jersey, a chapter of the American Culinary Federation, gave a cooking demonstration with the donated chicken and other items found at the FoodBank’s pantry.
Meat and poultry are nutrient dense foods, according to health experts, and can be especially helpful to people who need more protein, including growing children, pregnant women, the elderly, and anyone undergoing severe stress, disease or disability. According to food banks nationwide, meat is the most requested and least available food. Since 2000, Tyson Foods has donated more than 100 million pounds of protein in the United States.
Tyson Foods’ “KNOW Hunger” campaign is focused on helping more people understand and join the effort to eliminate hunger in America. The company partners with Feeding America, Share Our Strength and Lift Up America to raise awareness and help feed the hungry across the nation. Earlier this month, Tyson Foods announced its new commitment to hunger relief by pledging $50 million in cash and in-kind donations over the next five years in the fight against hunger, with a special focus on innovative initiatives at the local level.
“Last year, Community FoodBank of New Jersey’s Southern Branch distributed a record 8.6 million pounds of groceries,” said Andy Cohen, manager of foodservice sales for Tyson Foods. “With this donation, we hope to alleviate some of the immediate need but also raise awareness about food insecurity.”
To learn more about Community FoodBank of New Jersey and its hunger-relief efforts, visit http://www.cfbnj.org/.
About Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is one of the world's largest food companies with leading brands such as Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Sara Lee®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells® and State Fair®. It’s a recognized market leader in chicken, beef and pork as well as prepared foods, including bacon, breakfast sausage, turkey, lunchmeat, hot dogs, pizza crusts and toppings, tortillas and desserts. The company supplies retail and foodservice customers throughout the United States and approximately 130 countries. Tyson Foods was founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson, whose family has continued to lead the business with his son, Don Tyson, guiding the company for many years and grandson, John H. Tyson, serving as the current chairman of the board of directors. The company currently has approximately 113,000 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 Foods 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.
About Community FoodBank of New Jersey
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey distributed more than 44.6 million pounds of food in the past year, the most in its history. CFBNJ, a member of Feeding America, has more than 1,000 partner charities including food pantries, soup kitchens, and child and senior feeding programs. More than 4.7 million times a year, someone in need is fed by CFBNJ’s network of partner charities. Locally, the Southern Branch distributes an average of 165,000 pounds of groceries each week to more than 250 charitable feeding programs throughout Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland Counties. To help or get more information call 609-383-8843 or visit the web site at www.cfbnj.org.
About the American Culinary Federation
The American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members spanning 200 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States, with the Certified Executive Chef®, Certified Sous Chef® and Certified Executive Pastry Chef® designations the only culinary credentials accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, and to the Chef & Child Foundation, founded in 1989 to promote proper nutrition in children and to combat childhood obesity. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org. Find ACF on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ACFChefs and on Twitter @ACFChefs.
Contact:
Krista Cupp – 479-290-5195 or Krista.Cupp@Tyson.com