Smithfield Foods

This week, Smithfield Foods joined our industry colleagues and producers at the National Pork Industry Conference held at the Wisconsin Dells' Kalahari Resort. Here, we took the conference focus areas of education, networking and family to heart, hosting a youth workshop for more than 100 of the industry's youngest leaders. The workshop, facilitated by our own Nancy McCully, Dustin Mohrhauser and Ann Stahly, talked about the process of putting pork on consumer's plates.

When flooding occurs, not only are homes and properties impacted, but access to basic necessities like clean water and fresh food becomes limited. Together, with Mercy Chefs, we are meeting our neighbors where they are and bringing hot, restaurant quality meals straight to them as we are on the ground in Rock Valley, Iowa where flooding has ravaged the area.

Addressing food insecurity in underserved areas is key to advancing vitality in local communities. That is why we are proud to support the Lumbee Regional Development Association, Inc. (LRDA), an organization created to provide vital services and resources for the Lumbee Indian communities to improve social and economic conditions in North Carolina, with a $10,000 monetary donation and a truckload of product to help take a bite out of hunger in the area.

With severe flooding impacting much of Northwest Iowa, Smithfield Foods has delivered 34,000 pounds of protein to Rock Valley to provide free, restaurant-quality hot meals to victims, first responders and volunteers. As a local employer with more than 600 employees in nearby Sioux Center and Orange City, Iowa, we are proud to partner with Mercy Chefs, a Portsmouth, Virginia-based nonprofit that deploys to disaster zones across America to prepare these meals. The donation of loins, ribs and pork chops will provide over 140,000 servings of protein.

With more than 40 locations nationwide, we are lucky to be able to meet our interns where they are. But, even luckier to be able to bring them together to both produce "Good food. Responsibly.®” and develop professionally. This week, our talent development team hosted all 25 for a session outlining the importance of teamwork, prioritization, communication and innovation while also giving them the skillset needed to tackle challenges and opportunities in these areas. 

At Smithfield, we know that our people are our greatest asset. In Harrison, OH, Chief Manufacturing Officer, Doug Sutton recently joined the team during a visit to recognize 90-day milestones. Thank you to both Shawn and Salehe for your unwavering dedication to produce "Good food. Responsibly.®" We're proud to have you on our team!

Smithfield recently served as the presenting sponsor of the 2024 North Carolina Blueberry Festival held in Burgaw, NC, where our American Skin facility is located. In support of educational scholarships for local students, we donated 22 whole hogs for the event's cook-off. Following the contest, all chopped pork was sold to benefit the educational scholarships for students of Bladen, Duplin, New Hanover, Pender and Sampson counties.

Just as our veterans feel a sense of duty, we feel a sense of duty to them. In support of our veterans and neighbors in Junction City, KS, we recently announced our donation of over 150,000 servings of protein. Geary County, KS experiences the highest rate of child food insecurity and one of the highest rates of overall food scarcity in the state.

Wayne Community College and Lenoir Community College recently welcomed high school students to participate in their summer youth apprenticeship program. The inaugural Advanced Manufacturing Academy, launched by the Southeastern Education and Economic Development initiative and created by the NC Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) through sponsorship from Smithfield, focuses on growing our manufacturing and agriculture workforce through work-based learning and apprenticeships. The future is bright!

Last month, our Smithfield Hog Production team wasn’t clowning around when they rallied together to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House Eastern North Carolina (RMHC-ENC) event, Sport a Shirt, Share a Night fundraiser. Team members at our Warsaw, Rose Hill, Kenansville and Laurinburg locations purchased 105 t-shirts raising more than $1,600 to support Eastern NC families who stay at Ronald McDonald Houses.