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Tyson Foods Makes Donation to Food Bank of Western New York; Tyson CEO announces contribution during a visit to Buffalo


WEBWIRE

The Chief Executive Officer of Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) today announced the donation of a truckload of protein to the Food Bank of Western New York. Richard Bond made the announcement as part of his first visit as Tyson CEO to the company’s deli meat plant on Perry Street in Buffalo.

The announcement event was attended by Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown, food bank representatives and Tyson Team Members employed at the Buffalo plant. The donation of more than 30,000 pounds of chicken products, which is the equivalent of 120,000 meals, was delivered to the food bank at 95 Holt Street following the event.

“Through our partnership with hunger relief organizations like America’s Second Harvest, we’re pleased to support food banks in communities where we have operations,” said Bond. “Since we’re a leader in the foods business it’s only natural for us to also be a leader in the fight against hunger in our nation. In fact, since the year 2000, our company has donated more than 47 million pounds of protein to help those in need.”

Today’s donation is the sixth truckload of product that Tyson has donated in western New York this summer. Five truckloads, or more than 180,000 pounds, of protein were delivered to five food banks in western New York in June and July.

“Today’s delivery brings the total amount of protein donated in the area to more than 200,000 pounds this summer,” said Bond.

“The generosity that Tyson Foods has shown us over the last few years has been phenomenal,” said Clem Eckert, the food bank’s president and CEO. “The need for protein is always high, but even more so in the summertime when donations are down and children who need it most do not have access to the school-based feeding programs.”

The Food Bank of Western New York serves an area that includes Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara and Cattaraugus counties. The food bank distributes approximately 1 million pounds of food each month to more than 500 charitable programs and agencies throughout the area. More than 100,000 people are served each month.

Protein is one of the most efficient and long lasting sources of energy. The chicken donated today is one of the most concentrated sources of protein—an essential nutrient of life. The average person – man, woman or child – needs to eat about four ounces of protein per day.

Last summer, Tyson facilities nationwide kicked off a new program to raise funds and awareness for the fight against childhood hunger. The program is called Powering the Spirit™ and involves three key components: local fund-raising through cooking and grilling events, sales of a specially produced Tyson cookbook featuring recipes from the kitchens of Tyson team members nationwide and donation of 75 percent of the proceeds of those fundraising efforts to the community where the money is raised. Grants through the program are administered by national hunger relief organization Share Our Strength.

About Hunger Relief Nationwide
Tyson has made significant impact in their fight against hunger nationwide through a partnership with Share Our Strength®, and America’s Second Harvest-The Nation’s Food Bank Network. America’s Second Harvest is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the country with more than 200 food banks in its network.

In the seven years from 2000-2007, Tyson donated more than 47 million pounds of protein to hundreds of food banks and feeding agencies across the U.S. Strategically, Tyson seeks to engage all of its stakeholders in the fight against hunger, including customers, consumers, communities, and most importantly, Tyson team members. Between 2003 and 2007, Tyson team members raised more than half a million dollars for hunger relief efforts, creating their own branded internal fundraising campaign, called “Powering the Spirit.”

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.

For more information on how to get involved in the fight against hunger, go to www.tyson.com, http://www.secondharvest.org/ or www.strength.org

The Food Bank of Western New York serves the emergency food needs of Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, distributing more than 13 million pounds of food annually to more than 80,000 Western New York families. For more information, go to www.foodbankwny.org.

America’s Second Harvest® — The Nation’s Food Bank Network is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the country with a Network of more than 200 Member food banks and food - rescue programs serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The America’s Second Harvest Network secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually; and supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 94,000 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. Last year, the America’s Second Harvest Network provided food assistance to more than 23 million low-income hungry people in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors. For more on America’s Second Harvest, please visit www.secondharvest.org

Tyson Foods, Inc. [NYSE: TSN], founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is the world’s largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork, the second-largest food production company in the Fortune 500 and a member of the S&P 500. The company produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves. Tyson provides products and service to customers throughout the United States and more than 80 countries. The company has approximately 104,000 Team Members employed at more than 300 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.



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