Smithfield Foods is donating 40,000 pounds of protein to New Orleans via a truck shipment to support hunger relief in the wake of catastrophic damage inflicted by Hurricane Ida, one of the most intense hurricanes to ever strike Louisiana, which left nearly a million residents without power or water on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

The 160,000 protein servings will be intercepted in Louisiana by Mercy Chefs, a Portsmouth, Va.-based non-profit that deploys to disaster zones across America to serve free chef-prepared, restaurant-quality hot meals to victims, volunteers and first responders.

"We have expanded our distribution model to accommodate the extreme devastation Hurricane Ida has caused our beloved New Orleans community," said Chef Gary LeBlanc, Founder and CEO of Mercy Chefs. "Never before in our 16 years of service have we seen demand this great. Our partnership with Smithfield continues to be a tremendous blessing, supplying us with quality food in abundance with which we will lovingly make meals that provide comfort and relief amid terrible loss."

Mercy Chefs is presently utilizing a central location off I-10 in Metairie, La. to service several meal distribution locations in the area. For information on meal distribution times and locations or to volunteer locally visit mercychefs.com. 

Last month, Smithfield supplied Mercy Chefs with a 40,000-pound truckload of protein to support the non-profit's disaster response to sudden fatal rain and flooding events near Waverly, Tenn.

"Relieving hunger is among Smithfield's greatest social responsibilities and aspirations as a food company," said Jonathan Toms, charitable initiatives manager at Smithfield Foods. "We are humbled by the work our partner Mercy Chefs is doing and for the opportunity to help nourish members of our local communities as they recover. Our thoughts are with the people of Louisiana and all who are recuperating from natural disasters across our country."

About Smithfield Foods
Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly." and have made us one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield, Eckrich and Nathan's Famous, among many others.