Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) this morning delivered a 40,000-pound chicken donation to the Springfield headquarters of Ozarks Food Harvest.
The donation supports the Cans for Coffee food drive, an annual fundraiser occurring Oct. 5-25 that gives area McDonald’s customers the chance to exchange a nonperishable food items for a free small McCafe beverage, according to a news release.
“At Tyson Foods, we can donate food because there are tremendous organizations like Ozarks Food Harvest all across the country that work hard every day to see that people are fed in their communities. We couldn’t do it without them,” said Gina Johnson-Bumgarner, regional sales manager for Tyson, in the release.
Presented at 10 a.m. at the 2810 N. Cedarbrook Ave. food bank, the shipment of chicken represents a protein-rich donation. The dietary component is one of the least donated items to Ozarks Food Harvest.
Last year, Tyson donated 35,200 pounds of chicken toward the food drive. The Cans for Coffee event brought in a total 45,010 pounds of food.
Ozarks Food Harvest plans to distribute the latest Tyson donation to its network of 200 member agencies in the Ozarks. Through the network in 28 counties, the food bank distributes 13.6 million meals annually to 260,000 individuals, according to the release.