Cargill donates 2,250 holiday turkeys for distribution by food banks, Salvation Army, in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

WICHITA, Kan. and DAYTON, Va., Nov. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In time for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, Wichita, Kansas-based Cargill Value Added Meats – Retail, which operates Cargill's U.S. turkey business including its largest turkey complex in the Dayton, Va., area, is donating 1,000 turkeys to the Blue Ridge Food Bank in Verona, Va., 1,000 turkeys to the Salvation Army in Harrisonburg, Va., and 250 turkeys the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C.  These donations are incremental to the annual gift of turkeys made by the company to various charitable organizations.

"In Virginia, as well as in the Nation's Capital, many families are struggling to put adequate nutritional food on the table every day and we want to help as many as possible," said Cargill's Dayton, Va., turkey complex manager Randy Batson.  "We are pleased to be able to donate additional turkeys this year.  It is gratifying to our entire Cargill turkey production team in Virginia to know that 2,250 additional families will have a Thanksgiving meal that includes nutritious, flavorful and wholesome turkey.  We do as much as possible to help others less fortunate in our communities at this time of the year."

Cargill identified organizations to receive turkeys based on need and proximity to its turkey processing facilities.  Other organizations receiving turkeys include the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma for victims of the spring 2013 tornadoes that devastated much of Moore, Okla.; the Salvation Army distributing turkeys to families in West, Texas, where an April explosion at a fertilizer plant impacted the town; U.S. military families throughout the nation that will receive donated turkeys through Operation Homefront, as will military families receiving them through the Thanksgiving Turkey Basket program at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kan.  Other turkey donations will take place in Minnesota and Arkansas.  In total, Cargill is donating more than 11,000 incremental turkeys this holiday season, valued at more than $200,000.00.

"We believe that nourishing people by providing quality food protein is very important for people in communities near our turkey production facilities," stated Batson.  "People who have enough good food to eat, are better able to ensure their communities are able to thrive.  That's a point of view that we've maintained as part of Cargill's values and guiding principles since the company's founding 148 years ago, and it's as relevant today as it was in 1865."   

Cargill Value Added Meats – Retail, operates turkeys processing plants in Virginia, Texas, Missouri and Arkansas. 

About Cargill

Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and nearly 150 years of experience. We have 142,000 employees in 67 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.

SOURCE Cargill

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