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Home > Press Room > 2008 > Press Release
Press Release
Tyson Foods, LULAC Partnership Offers Help to the Hungry Through Donation to Roadrunner Food Bank.
Alliance contributes more than 15 tons of much needed protein.
August 21, 2008
For more information contact:
Gary Mickelson, Tyson Foods, Inc., 479-290-6111
Sonya Warwick, Roadrunner Food Bank,
505-349-8682
Lizette Jenness Olmos, LULAC, 202-365-4553
Michael Clark, Mitchell Communications Group
479-443-4673 or michael@mitchcommgroup.com
ALBUQUERQUE, NM, Aug. 21, 2008
– More than 300,000 New Mexicans are at risk of
hunger and last year approximately 240,000
families received food assistance through the
Roadrunner Food Bank and it network of partner
agencies. As the numbers show, hunger is still
prevalent and a persistent problem in the
region, which is why food bank officials are
applauding good news from an association among
Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), the League of
United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and
America’s Second Harvest, the Nation’s Food Bank
Network.
The association announced
today the donation of more than 15 tons of much
needed protein as part of its 1 million pound,
three-year commitment to fight hunger together.
Albuquerque city officials, LULAC leadership,
Roadrunner Food Bank representatives and Tyson
team members attended the ceremony.
“Hunger in our community is
continuing to increase. Over the summer, our
partner agencies reported to us that they were
experiencing a 30 percent increase of people
requesting food assistance,” Executive Director
Melody Wattenbarger said. “Donations such as the
association's are critical for us to respond to
the number of people who need access to food
assistance.”
In 2007, Roadrunner Food Bank
distributed more than 17.3 million pounds of
food through a statewide network of nearly 600
partner agencies and six regional food banks.
According to Wattenbarger, Roadrunner Food Bank
makes it a priority to distribute healthy and
nutritious food because many individuals served
represent vulnerable populations such as
children and seniors.
“Having enough food to feed
families is a challenge for many in the Hispanic
community and LULAC is dedicated to helping
families access nourishing foods,” said LULAC
National President Rosa Rosales. “We believe
that our relationship with Tyson Foods and
today’s donation to the Roadrunner Food Bank are
an important step toward our goal of ensuring no
one goes hungry.”
LULAC is the oldest and
largest Latino civil rights organization in the
United States. The group 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.
“At Tyson Foods, we’re very
excited to be part of LULAC and America’s Second
Harvest’s efforts to fight hunger in our
communities,” said Jay Apodaca, complex human
resources manager for Tyson Foods’ Santa Teresa
location.
“As Team Members of Tyson
Foods, we’re proud of our efforts to provide
nutritious meals to people living in our own
neighborhoods, some of whom may not know if they
will have enough food to eat this week,” Apodaca
said. “This contribution builds upon our
three-year commitment to address the issue of
hunger in the Hispanic community.”
Since 2000, Tyson Foods has
been a leader in the fight against hunger. The
company is actively engaged in food donation
events and fund-raising activities year-round to
benefit those in need. The protein given by
Tyson today will provide more than 120,000 meals
and brings the company’s total in-kind donations
since 2000 to more than 50 million pounds. This
milestone equates to over 202 million meals
donated to food banks and agencies serving local
communities around the country. Last year alone,
Tyson donated nearly 9 million pounds of protein
to America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food
Bank Network.
For more information on how to
get involved in the fight against hunger, click
here.
Roadrunner Food Bank of New
Mexico is New Mexico's largest non-profit
organization dedicated to ending hunger in New
Mexico. In 2007, Roadrunner Food Bank
distributed more than 17.3 million pounds of
food through a statewide network of nearly 600
partner agencies and six regional food banks. In
New Mexico, Roadrunner Food Bank is the only
member of Feeding America (formerly known as
America's Second Harvest - the Nation's Food
Bank Network). As the second hungriest state in
the nation, Roadrunner Food Bank and our
affiliated agencies serve more than 240,000
children and adults throughout the state.
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. [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 production 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. Tyson provides products and
service to customers throughout the United
States and more than 80 countries. The company
has approximately 104,000 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. Visit
www.tyson.com for more details.
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