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Tyson Foods Donates $240,000 to Mississippi Food Network for Capital Improvements and Mobile Pantry

Jackson, Miss. – March 27, 2018 – Tyson Foods today announced a $239,646 donation to Mississippi Food Network to help fund capital improvements designed to increase the food bank’s efficiency and reduce energy costs. The grant also will fund a mobile pantry program in Warren County to help provide food to families in need.  

“We appreciate Tyson Foods’ investment in our food bank through this capital improvement funding,” said Charles Beady, CEO of Mississippi Food Network.  “These warehouse improvements will allow us to better serve our member agencies and the people in need in our service area in Mississippi.”

The donation will fund renovation to the warehouse cooler and freezer, which is expected to save on costs of refrigeration, repairs and general maintenance, while adding storage space for 1.5 million pounds of refrigerated products. In addition, the installation of energy efficient lighting will reduce energy consumption by approximately 20 percent.

The donation also will fund the purchase of 108,000 pounds of fresh produce, 36,000 pounds of protein and 36,000 pounds of shelf-stable food to be distributed through community wide mobile pantries in Warren County.  These pantries will be held at Warren Central High School and Hinds Community College-Vicksburg-Warren Campus from June 2018 through May 2019. The mobile pantry is expected to serve at least 250 families each month. 

“Tyson Foods is a significant corporate partner in our fight against hunger through their donations of food, monetary funds and employee volunteer hours, and we appreciate their partnership,” said Beady.

In 2017, Mississippi Food Network distributed 21.4 million pounds of food through 430 agencies. The programs and services of MFN are designed to help support food insecure families.

“Mississippi has the highest incidence of food insecurity in the country,” said Debra Vernon, senior director of corporate social responsibility at Tyson Foods. “We are honored to join Mississippi Food Network in the fight against hunger and empower them to better serve communities around the state.”

Tyson Foods has three facilities in Mississippi and employs more than 3,600 in the state. The company also purchases cattle, grain, diesel and other utilities in Mississippi and estimates its annual statewide economic impact at more than $303.7 million. 
    

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About Tyson Foods 

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 122,000 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 tysonfoods.com.

About Mississippi Food Network

Mississippi Food Network is a food bank headquartered in Jackson. We are a Feeding America affiliated food bank and serve 56 counties in the central part of Mississippi. We accumulate, store and distribute food and household items to more than 430 member agencies in our service area. Member agencies are either churches or 501c3 nonprofit agencies and are Emergency Food Pantries, Day Care Centers, Emergency Shelters, Group Homes, Soup Kitchens, Teen Centers, Alcohol and Drug Rehabs, Afterschool Programs, Homeless Shelters and Senior Citizen Programs. We serve more than 150,000 people each month through our member agencies and distributed more than 21.4 million pounds of food in 2017. To learn more about Mississippi Food Network, visit our website at msfoodnet.org, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/MSFoodNetwork, or follow us on Twitter @MSFoodNet.

Media Contact:

Derek Burleson – (479) 290-6466