DES MOINES, IOWA (February 21, 2019) — To celebrate a joint donation of 39,200 pounds of food, representatives from Tyson Foods and Central Iowa Walmart stores volunteered together at Food Bank of Iowa on Thursday, February 21, 2019.
The donation was a result of Tyson Foods’ Holiday Hunger Challenge. During the 2018 holiday season, select Walmart stores were given the opportunity to partner with Tyson Foods to donate to local food banks. Stores in Central Iowa were one of the regions chosen to make a donation. They selected Food Bank of Iowa to receive their contribution. Originally a 10,000-pound donation, Tyson and Walmart partnered to bring in nearly 40,000 pounds.
"Our partnership with Walmart goes deeper than just a transactional relationship,” said Pete Louree, team leader at Tyson. “So as part of our holiday program with Walmart, we communicated that we would select certain regions that partnered with us during the holiday season and let them pick a food bank in their region to receive a donation.”
Representatives from the two companies also volunteered to help break down the donation into smaller, family-sized portions. In order to be distributed to Iowans across the 55 counties Food Bank of Iowa serves, large donations must be broken up to meet the needs of food pantries across the state.
“The most nutritious foods are often the most difficult for the people we serve to get ahold of,” said Danny Akright, communications manager for the Food Bank of Iowa. “A donation of this quality in this scale is a rarity, and will provide immense value to our clients. This chicken will form the centerpiece of meals across Iowa, helping feed children, families and seniors in need.”
The donation from Tyson and Walmart will be distributed among 175,000 food insecure Iowans served by Food Bank of Iowa. To learn more about how you can help Iowans struggling with food insecurity, please visit foodbankiowa.org.
Food Bank of Iowa is a private, not-for-profit organization committed to its mission of providing food to Iowa children, families and seniors to lead full and active lives, strengthening the communities where they live. Food Bank of Iowa distributes donated food and grocery products through Iowa’s largest network of emergency food providers, consisting of about 600 partner agencies in 55 counties. Last year, Food Bank of Iowa distributed 11,239,693 meals through its network of partners and direct service programs. Food Bank of Iowa operates distribution centers in Des Moines and Ottumwa.
To learn more, visit www.foodbankiowa.org or find us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/foodbankiowa.
