Harvesters—The Community Food Network receives 30,000 pounds of protein
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oct. 31, 2017 – Lift Up America and the Kansas City Chiefs teamed up with Tyson Foods, Inc. to tackle one of Kansas City’s most pressing issues – hunger.
Kansas City Chiefs linebackers were on hand Tuesday to help unload and distribute the 30,000 pounds of protein donated by Tyson Foods. Harvesters–The Community Food Network distributed the food to more than 60 agencies throughout the Kansas City area. Tuesday’s distribution event, which kicked off at 2 p.m. at Arrowhead Stadium, featured a news conference with speakers including Chiefs President Mark Donovan.
For the past 14 years, Lift Up America has partnered with the Kansas City Chiefs and Tyson Foods to distribute food to Kansas City area agencies.
“I’m so happy that the Lift Up America food distribution has become a Kansas City Chiefs tradition for the past decade. It’s something that I, as well as our players, have thoroughly enjoyed participating in each and every year. Knowing that this food will find its way into the hands of those in need makes the day a blessing to be a part of,” Donovan said.
Lift Up America partners with corporations, colleges, professional sports teams and nonprofit organizations to help communities in times of need. The Kansas City Chiefs were the first professional sports team to provide assistance.
“We have been so blessed to work with the Kansas City Chiefs and Tyson Foods year after year to support Harvesters—The Community Food Network. Through these efforts in fighting hunger, we hope that we can serve as an example for our youth and encourage the next generation to be Ambassadors of Compassion,” said Eric Hannah, president of Lift Up America.
The need for food assistance is greater today than ever before. Across Harvesters’ 26-county service area, nearly 375,000 people are food insecure. As the regional Feeding America food bank, Harvesters provides food and household products to more than 620 not-for-profit agencies, serving 141,500 people every month.
"This donation of protein is very important to Harvesters and to the clients we serve,” said Valerie Nicholson-Watson, Harvesters’ president and CEO. “Protein can be an expensive food item to purchase and is often difficult for families to access, but it is a key food group for a healthy diet. Harvesters is committed to providing the healthiest food possible, and this donation allows us to help meet the need of feeding one in seven people in our community.”
Last year, Harvesters distributed more than 46 million pounds of food and household products which provided more than 41 million meals. Due to the slow economic recovery and continued high unemployment, the number of people seeking help from Harvesters’ network remains great.
For the past 14 years, Tyson Foods has assisted Lift Up America in providing food in more than 20 cities to reduce domestic hunger in the United States. Since 2000, Tyson Foods has donated more than 100 million pounds of protein in the United States.
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“We’re proud to do our part to help great partners like Harvesters—The Community Food Network and Lift Up America, which works on the front lines every day to end hunger,” said Matt Pakula, senior manager of corporate social responsibility at Tyson Foods. “Too many in Kansas City and America are food insecure, and although the problem is complex, the answer starts with getting involved and creating awareness.”
About Tyson Foods, Inc.
Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp® and State Fair®. Tyson Foods innovates continually to make protein more sustainable, tailor food for everywhere it’s available and raise the world’s expectations for how much good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has 114,000 team members. Through its Core Values, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team members and serve as a steward of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit www.tysonfoods.com.
About Lift Up America
Lift Up America, founded in 2004, is a 501c3 non-profit organization that collaborates with corporations, professional and college sports teams and local nonprofit agencies to help our nation’s less fortunate. For more information about Lift Up America, please visit www.LiftUpAmerica.org. In 2014, Lift Up America is focused on expanding its Ambassador of Compassion program across the U.S., including an active chapter in Cleveland. An interactive leadership program for youth, Ambassadors of Compassion helps transform junior-high and high-school aged youth into resilient, confident individuals motivated to embrace a strong work ethic and continue giving service in their communities. For more information and how to donate, please visit www.aoclife.org.
About the Kansas City Chiefs
This is another example of the Kansas City Chiefs commitment to playing an active role in the community. The Hunt family has made corporate citizenship and charitable giving a priority for the Chiefs. Those efforts focus on organizations and programs which improve the cultural climate in our region, support families and children in crisis, improve health and wellness among children as well as preserve the legacy and history of the game of football. One way the organization supports these efforts is through Chiefs Community Caring Team visits such as this. Last year alone, the Chiefs Community Caring Team’s hunger relief programming was responsible for providing nearly 300,000 meals throughout Chiefs Kingdom.
About Harvesters – The Community Food Network
Harvesters is a regional food bank and was Feeding America’s 2011 Food Bank of the Year. Serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas, Harvesters provides food and related household products to more than 620 not-for-profit agencies including emergency food pantries, community kitchens, shelters and others. Agencies in Harvesters’ network provide food assistance to as many as 141,500 different people each month. Harvesters, which was founded in 1979, is a certified member of Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, serving all 50 states. For more information, visit harvesters.org.
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Media Contacts:
Derek Burleson, Tyson Foods, 479-290-6466, derek.burleson@tyson.com
Gene Hallinan, Harvesters, 816-929-3071, ghallinan@harvesters.org
Chuck Castellano, Kansas City Chiefs, 816-920-4517, ccastellano@chiefs.nfl.com
Cindy Hestand, Lift Up America, 858-485-1171, cindy.hestand@liftupamerica.org