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Richard Foster // August 22, 2019//
The charitable arm of Virginia-based global food company Smithfield Foods Inc. donated $150,000 to support Virginia programs for homeless military veterans and their families during a ceremony held in Richmond Thursday with Gov. Ralph Northam and other state dignitaries.
The donation from The Smithfield Foundation to the Virginia Veterans Service Foundation, a state agency, will support the Homeless Veteran Fund, which provides gap assistance to homeless vets and those on the brink of homelessness. Smithfield previously donated $68,000 to held establish the fund in 2016. The Homeless Veteran Fund was established by the Virginia Veteran and Family Support Program, which is operated by the Virginia Department of Veteran Services (DVS), and the Virginia Veterans Service Foundation, which seeks donations and grants to provide supplement funding for Virginia veterans programs.
“At Smithfield, our ongoing commitment to support veterans directly aligns with the mission of the DVS Homeless Veteran Fund and we are pleased to provide resources to ensure the continued success of this program right here in our home state of Virginia,” said Kenneth M. Sullivan, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods. “We are honored to give back to our nation’s veterans through this unique and successful public-private partnership, in honor of their service and sacrifice to all of us.”
In a statement released Thursday, Northam said, “With nearly one in 10 Virginians having worn a uniform, our commonwealth is home to one of the largest veteran populations in the country, and we owe it to our Virginia veterans to ensure they have a safe place to live. We are grateful for our ongoing partnerships with federal, state, and local agencies, and the financial support of generous donors like Smithfield Foods that enables us to meet the needs of the more than 730,000 veterans living in Virginia and make sure that veteran homelessness in our commonwealth is rare, brief and non-recurring.”
Smithfield Foods is the world's largest pork processor and hog producer.
Image courtesy Smithfield Foods Inc.
