FARMER JOHN CELEBRATES YEAR THREE OF ITS CALIFORNIA COMMITMENT TOUR WITH PROTEIN DONATION AT ALAMEDA COUNTY COMMUNITY FOOD BANK

As an Extension of This Year's Tour, Farmer John is Launching its California Kindness Project to Support California Non-profits with $100,000 in Grants

VERNON, Calif., July 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Farmer John brand has been rooted in California since 1931 and has had the privilege of feeding and supporting its communities for more than nine decades. Farmer John's heart will always be in California and that's why the brand is dedicated to finding even more ways to invest in the Golden State's communities and support brand fans for years to come. As part of this promise, the brand is embarking on year three of its California Commitment Tour to feed, celebrate, and serve residents across the state. Over the course of eight weeks this summer, Farmer John is making 3-4 stops per week with its food truck to deliver free grab-and-go lunches to Californians and essential businesses and donating much-needed protein to local food banks.

Yesterday, the brand made a pit stop at Alameda County Community Food Bank in Northern California to recognize the organization's positive impact and commitment to serving the local community by donating 150,000 servings of protein to aid in local hunger relief. Farmer John also showed its gratitude to the organization and its unwavering efforts by partnering with Brenda Buenviajé, renowned local chef and owner of Brenda's Oakland, who delivered her Thick Cut Bacon, Ham and Pimento Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches featuring Farmer John Thick Cut Bacon and Farmer John Classic Hickory Smoked Ham Steak to the hardworking food bank employees and volunteers.

"Generous contributions like the donation we received from Farmer John are incredibly important for organizations like ours," said, Michael Altfest, director of community engagement at Alameda County Community Food Bank. "Protein items are among the most requested at our distributions, but are also among the most expensive for us to procure. This donation is greatly appreciated and goes a long way in helping us meet the need in our community." 

"I've called California home for twenty-four years now and giving back to my community is very important to me, so I was honored when Farmer John approached me to partner to serve up meals to the deserving food bank workers and volunteers," said Brenda Buenviajé, chef and owner of Brenda's Oakland. "I'm a big believer of celebrating the people you care about with good food, and I hope my Thick Cut Bacon, Ham and Pimento Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches brought a little more joy to this community."

As an extension of this year's tour, Farmer John is also introducing the California Kindness Project – a program designed to support committed California non-profits who are making an impact in their local areas. Whether newly founded in the midst of the pandemic or around for generations, Farmer John is inviting charities and organizations in the Golden State to apply for one of the California Kindness grants, so that the brand can help support these nonprofits on their mission of improving the lives of their neighbors.

Through the California Kindness Project, Farmer John will provide $100,000 in financial support via grants, ranging from $3,000 to $25,000 each, to eligible California nonprofit organizations through an open application process ending September 5.* To submit an application or to learn more about eligibility, guidelines, and the selection process, organizations can visit CAKindnessProject.com.

"Our hearts will always be in California, and we look forward to continuing to show our appreciation, to say thank you, and to honor the Golden State's communities for years to come," said Lauren Connelly, brand manager for Farmer John at Smithfield Foods. "Initiatives like the California Commitment Tour and California Kindness Project are small tokens of our appreciation and give us the opportunity to celebrate and serve Californians – one meal at a time."

Farmer John fans are invited to recreate Brenda Buenviajé's recipes – Asian Cajun Po' Boy and Thick Cut Bacon, Ham and Pimento Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches – at home and share their masterpieces on social using the hashtags #CommittedToCalifornia, #SoFarmerJohn, and #SoCalifornia. For more information and to see where the Farmer John California Commitment Tour goes next, follow Farmer John on Facebook (@FarmerJohn), Instagram (@FarmerJohnLA), or Twitter (@FarmerJohnLA), and visit www.farmerjohn.com. Farmer John is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

*Subject to terms and conditions.

About Farmer John
Serving Californians since 1931, Farmer John has pioneered a revolution in the supply of local flavorful meats. The journey began with Irish-American brothers Francis and Bernard Clougherty curing and selling pork bellies and smoked hams to local grocery stores and continues today with staples like breakfast sausage and hot dogs. This longstanding Southern California brand remains committed to crafting the highest quality meats full of freshness and flavor. For more information on our products and recipe inspiration, please visit www.farmerjohn.com or follow us on Facebook (@FarmerJohn), Instagram (@FarmerJohnLA) or Twitter (@FarmerJohnLA). Farmer John is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. With more than 60,000 jobs globally, we are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly.^®" and serve as one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in our U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield^®, Eckrich^® and Nathan's Famous^®, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Alameda County Community Food Bank
Alameda County Community Food Bank has been at the forefront of hunger relief efforts in the Bay Area since 1985. The Food Bank serves 1 in 4 Alameda County residents by distributing food through a network of 420 food pantries, soup kitchens, and other community organizations, as well as direct distribution and COVID-relief programs including school-based, home delivery and drive-through distributions. This year, the Food Bank will distribute the equivalent of 45 million meals. In addition to its extensive emergency food programming, ACCFB's hunger-relief efforts include California's largest CalFresh (food stamp) outreach department and a robust advocacy team which works with elected officials to seek long-term solutions to hunger and poverty. Alameda County Community Food Bank was named Feeding America's Food Bank of the Year in 2016, and for 15 consecutive years has received Charity Navigator's top rating — Four Stars — ranking the organization among the top 1 percent of charities nationwide. Learn more at www.accfb.org.

SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.