OK Foods to Create Strategic Partnership with River Valley Regional Food Bank
Donates 500,000 Pounds of Chicken
FORT SMITH, Ark. (September 8, 2016) – OK Foods announces a strategic long-term partnership with the River Valley Regional Food Bank (RVRFB) located in Fort Smith. The partnership begins with a five-year commitment to provide 500,000 pounds of chicken products to the food bank to help provide nourishment to people in the river valley community. The donation is the largest commitment in OK Foods history.
“At OK Foods, we take seriously our mission to nourish the world,” said Trent Goins, president and CEO of OK Foods. “We are grateful that our parent company, Bachoco, is supportive in our mission and our efforts. There is a big need for nourishment in our community, and OK Foods is eager to support that need by partnering with the River Valley Regional Food Bank.”
Sebastian County has a child food insecurity rate of 30 percent, totaling 6,700 children in Fort Smith alone. The RVRFB, in conjunction with the Crawford-Sebastian County Community Development Council, is currently renovating a recently donated facility. The new facility will allow the RVRFB to increase its capacity to service food pantries and feeding agencies across its seven county region.
“This commitment from OK Foods will help provide thousands of meals for our hungriest neighbors,” said Ted Clemons, Executive Director of the River Valley Regional Food Bank. “By guaranteeing high-quality protein over the next five years, OK Foods’ donation is adding great stability to our operations.”
The donation to the RVRFB is the first step in OK Foods’ strategic sustained giving plan to Feeding America food banks in areas surrounding its headquarters in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
About River Valley Regional Food Bank
The River Valley Regional Food Bank serves 8 counties in West Central Arkansas, namely, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Polk, Scott, Sebastian and Yell, through a network of 189 member agencies. In an area where just over 300,000 live, there are over 53,000 classified as food insecure and the food insecure include 25,000 children. The food bank solicits, stores and distributes food and related products, provides service programming and raise public awareness about hunger and food banking’s role in alleviating it. Visit www.RVRfoodbank.org, find us on Facebook.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger.