Smithfield, Paula Deen Donate 20,000 Pounds of Meat to Help Feed Savannah's Hungry Families

SAVANNAH, Ga., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Smithfield and Food Network celebrity cook Paula Deen donated 20,000 pounds of cold cuts to America's Second Harvest -- enough to make more than 65,000 sandwiches to feed Savannah's hungry families.

Deen, Savannah's most celebrated resident and Smithfield's marketing partner, alerted the company to food bank shortages shadowing the holiday season. "Paula was concerned about a shortage at the food bank during the height of the holiday season and called us because she knows that helping hungry families is an ongoing interest of ours," said Joseph W. Luter IV, president of Smithfield. "We're delighted that we could join with Paula and be of help, especially at this time of year."

"During the busy holiday season it's sometimes hard for food banks to get enough donations to keep up with the needs of families that are struggling," Deen said. "So when I heard that the food bank needed some help I called the good folks at Smithfield and they came through just like I knew they would."

Deen, a longtime Savannah resident, is the host of two of her own TV shows -- Paula's Home Cooking and Paula's Party -- on the Food Network and is the best-selling author of seven cookbooks. She also publishes a lifestyle magazine called Cooking With Paula Deen and with her two sons owns and operates a Savannah restaurant called The Lady & Sons. Deen is a partner with Smithfield in a joint marketing venture which has resulted in the development of her own line of Smithfield products.

"This significant donation will help feed the hungry people in the coastal Georgia area," said Mary Jane Crouch, executive director for America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. "We appreciate so much Smithfield and Mrs. Deen recognizing the need in our community and assisting in helping us provide for those in need."

America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia provides food for hungry people and improves communities in the 21 coastal Georgia counties which it serves. In 2006 Second Harvest distributed over 4.2 million pounds of food, feeding 90,000 people, including 52,916 children.