StarKist® Partners with Feed the Children and Feed the 479 for special event benefiting 400 families in Northwest Arkansas
StarKist Co., a socially responsible company that empowers people to live a healthy lifestyle by providing convenient proteins, partnered with Feed the Children and Feed the 479 today to bring hunger relief to 400 families living in Northwest Arkansas’s Benton County.
The drive-thru event was held at Cross Church in Rogers, AR. During the event, 400 families and seniors received a 25-pound box of shelf-stable food, including StarKist products; a 15-pound box of hygiene essentials such as shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and personal-care items; a box of Avon products; storybooks and other items.
“At StarKist, we have built a longstanding partnership with Feed the Children, an organization dedicated to nationwide hunger relief efforts and are very pleased to be working with Feed the 479, an organization that works each and every day to provide fresh and healthy food for Northwest Arkansas” said Chae-Ung Um, President and CEO of StarKist. “Hunger and food insecurity are prevalent issues that affect communities everywhere, including Benton County. As a responsible corporate citizen, we are committed to addressing this challenge head-on and consider it a privilege to give back to this community.”
For nearly 15 years, StarKist has contributed over 821,000 pounds of tuna and chicken products to help food-insecure children and families across the U.S., and more than $880,000 to support Feed the Children’s disaster and emergency response efforts. This is the latest in StarKist’s continual efforts to alleviate hunger and food shortages, dating back to 1917, when there was a nationwide protein shortage during World War I.
According to Travis Arnold, President and CEO of Feed the Children, “The StarKist partnership means so very much to Feed the Children, and more importantly, to the families we serve. Those living paycheck-to-paycheck often do not have a safety net. Our partners are a critical part of providing compassionate support to those who are facing tough decisions about how to care for their families.”
“Summers can be a particularly difficult time for families with children. Parents who only need to account for one meal per day during the school year now need to provide three meals per day,” noted Dennis Smiley, Director of Feed the 479. “With the help of StarKist and Feed the Children, today’s event will help to bridge that gap and serve those families who could use a little extra help.”
About StarKist Co.
StarKist Co. is a socially responsible company that empowers people to live a healthy lifestyle by providing convenient proteins. An industry innovator, StarKist was the first brand to introduce single-serve pouch products, which include StarKist Tuna Creations®, Salmon Creations® and Chicken Creations®. As America’s favorite tuna, StarKist represents a tradition of quality, consumer trust and a commitment to sustainability. StarKist’s charismatic brand icon, Charlie® the Tuna, swam into the hearts of tuna fans in 1961 and is still a fan favorite today. StarKist Co. is a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Dongwon Industries Co., Ltd.
About Feed the 479
Feed the 479 is the ministry arm of Compassion Center of NWA, a non-profit that was established in 2016 with the mission of “Extending Help, Love and Dignity to Northwest Arkansas.” Feed the 479 accomplishes this by offering a choice food pantry to our friends and neighbors, where people can come and receive fresh and healthy food in an inviting and welcoming atmosphere. Every week hundreds of families come through our door to pick out fresh produce, meats, deli items, bakery items and shelf stable items to help meet their needs. To provide this food, Feed the 479 trucks pick up retail rescue items daily from local partners which we can distribute to our neighbors in a timely manner. In 2022, through our choice pantry in Springdale and our mobile pantries in Rogers and Fayetteville, Feed the 479 has served and extended help, love and dignity to over 160,000 individuals in our community.
About Feed the Children
Feed the Children is committed to ending childhood hunger. We believe that no child should go to bed hungry, and so we provide children and families in the U.S. and around the world with the food and essentials kids need to grow and thrive.
Through our programs and partnerships, we feed children today while helping their families and communities build resilient futures. In addition to food, we distribute household and personal care items across the United States to help parents and caregivers maintain stable, food-secure households. Internationally, we expand access to nutritious meals, safe water, improved hygiene and training in sustainable living. Responsible stewards of our resources, we are driven to pursue innovative, holistic and child-focused solutions to the complex challenges of hunger, food insecurity and poverty.
For children everywhere, we believe that having enough to eat is a fundamental right.
Feed the Children | no child should go to bed hungry