Arkansas food security, nutrition get boost from 120,000 meals of Cargill turkey donated to local food banks

This holiday season, Cargill is working with three Arkansas food banks to provide local families with their Thanksgiving turkey. The donation of whole Honeysuckle White^® turkeys will nourish more than 120,000 people and will be distributed to families by the River Valley Regional Food Bank, Arkansas Food Bank and Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.

“Family gatherings during the holiday season should be accompanied by nutritious, high-quality foods, and we are delighted to help make that a reality for so many neighbors throughout Northwest Arkansas,” said Shane Acosta, general manager of Cargill’s Springdale turkey complex. “Our 1,200 employees who work for the turkey business in the region want to help communities thrive by ensuring people have a delicious Thanksgiving turkey.”  

Each food bank has received approximately 40,000 pounds of Honeysuckle White^® turkey. Combined, these three food banks provide nutritional support, including distribution of food products through agency partners, to residents across Northwest, West Central, Central and Southern Arkansas.

According to Feeding America, one in six Arkansans struggles with hunger, compared to the national average of one in eight people. For children, it is one in four facing hunger issues in Arkansas. Cargill’s contribution is focused on improving local food security and nutrition.

Cargill’s Springdale facility was established in 1965. Over the past six years, the facility has donated more than 1.1 million pounds of turkey products, equating to more than 1 million meals throughout the region during the holiday season.

Food banks receiving turkeys are members of the Feeding America network. As a global company, Cargill works with partners in numerous countries around the world to address hunger, food waste, food safety and other challenges. This helps achieve the company’s purpose to help nourish the world safely, responsibly and sustainably. Cargill’s partnership with Feeding America helps advance innovative local food sourcing models, while also increasing access to nutritious food and supporting community health and nutrition programs.

Cargill’s 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive.

We combine 153 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture.