As a result of successfully completing the intensive program, which runs from eighth to 12th grade, eight Denison students will be receiving four-year, full-tuition scholarships to attend Iowa State University. Among the requirements of the program, students have to complete a science fair project, maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0, and participate in 75 percent of the program’s activities.  

The students, graduates, and their families will have the chance to celebrate all their hard work at the Learners to Leaders/Science Bound Spring Honors Banquet on Wednesday, May 16, at the Boulders Conference Center in Denison. Guest speakers include Todd Gerken, Farmland’s vice president of operations, and Dave Townsend, Smithfield’s assistant vice president of environmental affairs.     

Since 2007, Farmland Foods and Smithfield Foods have sponsored the Learners to Leaders/Science Bound program, an educational partnership with Denison local schools and Iowa State University. The program’s goal is to inspire ethnically diverse students to work toward degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 

Eckrich is partnering with Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency financial assistance to the families of United States service members and wounded warriors. Eckrich is donating a portion of the proceeds from certain product purchases to Operation Homefront, up to $200,000.

“Eckrich is proud and humbled to partner with Operation Homefront to help support America’s military families,” said Joseph Sebring, president of the John Morrell Food Group. “Creating special family moments is ingrained into our company’s mission and values. That’s why we’re giving back and supporting this cause.”

In addition to the cash donation, this spring and summer Eckrich will help host a series of Operation Homefront’s Military Family Thank You Days cookouts, which feature great food, outdoor games, and music for military families. The first cookout was held on April 28 in San Antonio, followed by events in Dallas, Oklahoma City, Fort Riley, Kansas, Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, and Bentonville, Ark.

The partnership also is supported with a broader Eckrich marketing campaign that features television, radio, online, and out-of-home advertising, as well as using Facebook, to further raise awareness of military families’ needs. 

The meat, donated by Smithfield Foods, Smithfield Prod and Agroalim Products, was distributed at social canteens, daycare centers, hospitals and orphanages in Timisoara and surrounding areas. Some packages of protein products were also donated to individuals.

“March 8^th was a special day for our company because that was the day three years ago when we first launched our Food for the Soul program,” said Cristina Bodea, public relations manager for Smithfield Prod. “It’s also the day that we celebrate the joy of giving in Romania.”

We applaud the efforts of our international divisions to support their neighbors, friends and families in the Timisoara area. 

Healthy Ones introduced red-themed packaging and other promotional materials on tub lunchmeat and deli products, certified “Extra Lean” by the American Heart Association, at grocery stores nationwide. In addition, five cents from each purchase of a participating product was donated to WomenHeart during February, totaling to a maximum donation of $50,000!

For more information on product offerings from John Morrell, please visit http://johnmorrellfoodgroup.com.

On Friday, Aric Almirola and Richard Petty joined the Smithfield Foods Helping Hungry Homes initiative to deliver 120,000 servings of protein for hungry Florida families through the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Aric and Richard also met up with fans at the Smithfield tent where they signed autographs, snapped photos and offered up a chance to win various prizes.

We’re honored to be part of such a dedicated and outgoing team and thank Richard and Aric for their effort to help alleviate hunger in central Florida.

So, be sure to tune in tonight and cheer on the RPM team and hopefully see Aric leading the pack when the checkered flag flies!

As part of the program, Krakus has commissioned Little Stars, the popular Chicago Polish theater group, to create and perform an original play titled “King Krakus & the Dragon” at Chicagoland Polish schools. The play is a modern interpretation of an infamous Polish fable and will feature seasoned Polish stage actors combining history with humor and song.

The Legend program will also sponsor both a multimedia art contest and a creative essay competition. Winning students and schools of the art contest, developed in conjunction with the Council of Educators in Polonia, will receive prizes and education grants. Participation in the essay competition is open to all high school and elementary school students in the Chicagoland area.

We wish everyone luck!

“Our farms have long been criticized for errors we made long ago despite the ensuing years of environmental improvement and industry leadership, so reaching our goal of no NOVs system-wide is a very rewarding achievement. We are tremendously proud of the determination and dedication of all our employees at Murphy-Brown and our international operations,” said Dennis Treacy, executive vice president and chief sustainability officer for Smithfield Foods.

A decade ago, Smithfield adopted an environmental policy committing the company to pollution prevention and continuous improvement in its environmental performance. In 2002 Smithfield received ISO 14001 certification for all of its domestic company-owned farms, and by 2004 its processing facilities also earned the same ISO certification.

“Each day we face new challenges throughout our industry, which makes this achievement just one step in our ongoing journey,” Treacy said.

“We’ve traveled from Miami, Florida, to Anchorage, Alaska, bringing much needed protein to wonderful food assistance organizations, and we have just made our 100th tour donation,” said Dennis Pittman, Smithfield-Packing’s’ public affairs director. “Our Smithfield trucks have traveled to help families who’ve experienced tornado devastation in Joplin, Missouri, floods in Vermont and the recent hurricane in Delaware. It is heartwarming when we hear over and over again how much a food donation means to people. We’re eager to continue the fight against hunger and raising awareness coast-to-coast.”

Helping Hungry Homes is a Smithfield Foods initiative started in 2008 with a goal of helping to feed food insecure families in our nation. 

While PSF’s agreement with the state designated a final deadline of July 31, 2012 to complete the project, final installation procedures took place on December 29, 2011. In total, installation costs of the next generation barn scraper technology exceeded $7 million.

“A great deal of perseverance and cooperation on the part of the state and our company went into this project over the past ten years, and now that it’s completed we believe we are setting the standard for environmental technology,” said Bill Homann, director of administration and compliance for PSF.

“In fact, our production employees and environmental staff experts are very happy with how well the next generation technology is working. The systems are exceeding our expectations and providing a very positive impact,” he added.

We’re thrilled to see a decade’s worth of hard work culminate in such a concerted fashion. PSF’s diligence has not only helped to preserve hundreds of jobs in the area, but will also serve to improve the future quality of life for all of our friends and families who call north Missouri home.

Aric was recently named as driver of RPM’s infamous No. 43 Ford and will make his Sprint Cup debut at Daytona. “I’m looking forward to representing the Smithfield brands,” Aric said. “They have some great things planned and I am happy to be a part of it.”

The Petty organization meshes well with our core values at Smithfield so this partnership arises as a very natural fit. “The Petty’s stand firmly for family values and demonstrate a strong regard and enthusiasm for helping others, which is something we’re thrilled to be a part of,” said C. Larry Pope, our president and chief executive officer. “We’re excited to explore the many  possibilities in which we can give back through Helping Hungry Homes,^® our initiative focused on alleviating hunger across America.” In fact, Helping Hungry Homes^® will be Smithfield’s featured brand for the Daytona 500.

We’re all revved up to be on the track with such a great team!