Earlier this month, Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods and the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) donated 4,774 cases (38,526 lb.) of assorted Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm products to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
“Partnering with organizations like the Atlanta Community Food Bank and NACS is important to us in raising awareness about food insecurity in communities all around the United States,” said Nancy Todys, senior manager, convenience channel development, for Tyson Foods. “In the greater Atlanta community, programs supported through the Food Bank serve more than 85,000 people each week and we’re honored to be a part of those efforts.”
Each year, an estimated 755,400 (or one in seven) people in metro Atlanta and north Georgia rely on Atlanta Community Food Bank partner agencies for food. Clients visit agencies an average of eight times a year. In the Food Bank’s 29-county service area, 14.6 percent of people are food insecure and 21.1 percent of children are food insecure.
“We are so thankful to receive this generous donation from our partners at Tyson Foods,” said Kyle Waide, CEO and president of Atlanta Community Food Bank. “This donation will provide 32,105 meals to those in need. In the Food Bank’s 29-county service area, roughly 784,700 people are food insecure. By raising awareness of the hunger that lurks in front of us, we can work together to reduce this number by providing meals to those who need them most.”
“There are more than 153,000 convenience stores serving communities across the United States, and cumulatively NACS retail members contribute over $1 billion a year to charity,” said Jeff Lenard, NACS VP of strategic industry initiatives. “Our industry also has exceptional supplier members that are also actively giving back to the community, and we’re proud to partner with Tyson Foods to support the Atlanta Community Food Bank.”
For the past five years, Tyson Foods and NACS have teamed up to support the community during the annual NACS Show, the global convenience and fuel retailing’s premier industry event. This year’s NACS Show took place in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center Oct. 1-4.
With thousands of food bank donations over the years, grants to community organizations, and hunger-related volunteerism, Tyson Foods focuses on hunger relief efforts. In 2015, Tyson Foods made a renewed commitment to hunger relief by pledging $50 million in cash and in-kind donations by 2020 in the fight against hunger, with a special focus on innovative initiatives at the local level.
NACS works with organizations like No Kid Hungry and Feeding America to support convenience retailers in their efforts to reduce food waste and provide hunger relief.
