America’s Second Harvest, LULAC and Tyson Foods Team Up to Fight Hunger

Three leaders in very different fields are uniting to address the issue of hunger among Latino communities in the U.S. Today, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network (A2H), and Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) announced that the three organizations have formed a coalition that will produce an in-depth study of the extent and root causes of hunger among Latinos. The announcement was made at Chicago’s Navy Pier in conjunction with LULAC’s annual convention, which is currently underway in Chicago. Tyson Foods also pledged to donate one million pounds of food over a period of three years to America’s Second Harvest foodbanks serving Latino and Hispanic populations. To announce the collaboration and to kick-off the pledge, representatives from Tyson Foods made an initial donation of a truckload of more than 35,000 pounds of protein products to the Chicago Food Depository, whose member agencies serve Latino communities in the Chicago area.

“These three organizations are uniquely qualified to address the issue of hunger in Latino communities,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of America’s Second Harvest. “We have worked with Tyson Foods for years to help alleviate hunger across the country, and by working with LULAC, we can specifically target hunger among the Latino population.” According to the 2007 Hunger Almanac, the nation’s most comprehensive guide to understanding the facts about domestic hunger and poverty, approximately 17 percent of individuals who are served by foodbanks in America’s Second Harvest’s network are Latino or Hispanic.

“Food security is a human right and LULAC believes everyone should have access to nutritional and culturally relevant food” said Rosa Rosales, National LULAC President. “We are excited about partnering with America’s Second Harvest and Tyson Foods to meet the moral obligation that we have as leaders to participate in meaningful efforts to insure no one goes to bed hungry.”

The ongoing partnership will draw on the strengths of all of the partners to explore the issue of hunger in Latino populations, and to initiate solutions where possible. Some potential questions that could be addressed in ongoing research include: How does the percentage of the Latino population utilizing foodbank-served resources compare with other populations? If Latinos in need are not accessing social services provided by hunger relief agencies, why not? What is the role of faith-based organizations in serving this population? Are there cultural differences between Latinos of different countries of origin relevant to this issue? How do social support systems in other countries differ from those in the U.S.?

Protein is one of the most efficient and long lasting sources of energy. The protein products donated by Tyson Foods are among the most concentrated sources of protein—an essential nutrient of life. The average person—man, woman or child—needs to eat about 0.4 grams of protein for every pound of body weight, every day. This is approximately equivalent to five ounces of chicken, beef or pork.

About Hunger Relief Nationwide
Tyson has made significant impact on the fight against hunger nationwide through a partnership with Share Our Strength®, and America’s Second Harvest-The Nation’s Food Bank Network. Share Our Strength® is a nonprofit agency that inspires and organizes individuals and businesses to share their strengths in innovative ways to help end childhood hunger in the United States. America’s Second Harvest is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the country with more than 200 food banks in its network.

Since Tyson’s partnership with hunger relief organizations began in 2000, the company has provided more than 42 million pounds of chicken, beef and pork – supplying more than 168 million meals with essential protein – to benefit more than 400 hunger relief organizations across the U.S. Tyson has made a significant impact, leading the fight against hunger through its ongoing partnerships with America’s Second Harvest, Share Our Strength, Lift Up America and others.

According to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey released in August 2005 which studied conditions in 2004, the poverty rate in America rose by 4 percent to 35.9 million people, one-third of which are children.