Smithfield Foods donates $500,000 to bolster food security this summer

US-based Smithfield Foods has shared that it has made a $500,000 donation to SUN Bucks in North Carolina, a new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programme that provides food assistance to children and families during the summer.

The Vice President of the company, Steve Evans, has said that “fighting food and hunger is a top priority to Smithfield” and went on to share “we’re humbled to do our part in the communities where we live and work so our neighbours can continue to access healthy and nutritious food throughout the summer when schools aren’t in session.”

SUN Bucks will be launched in summer 2024 and will be administered by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Families involved are set to receive $120 per eligible child on a pre-loaded SUN Bucks card which they can put towards buying purchase groceries, including fruit, vegetables and protein, at retail locations currently accepting EBT.

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“Good nutrition is the foundation for good health. The SUN Bucks programme gives more than a million school children in North Carolina access to the healthy food they need to thrive this summer,” explained Kody H. Kinsley, North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary.

With an aim of feeding nearly one million school-aged children in North Carolina, the SUN Bucks programme is expected to have an estimated economic impact of $120 million.

“NCDHHS is grateful to Smithfield Foods for their contributions to SUN Bucks and for supporting our mission to improve health and well-being for all North Carolinians,” concluded Kinsley.