Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico Receives More than 35,000 Pounds of Protein Donated by Tyson Foods and LULAC

April 29, 2015

Contact: Paloma Zuleta
202-812-4477

LULAC Kicks off Latinos Living Healthy: Feria de Salud with Tyson Foods Donation In Partnership with the Ponce Municipality, LULAC Women’s Commission and LULAC Puerto Rico, the LULAC Latinos Living Healthy: Feria de Salud, Focuses on Addressing Health Disparities in the Latino Community

Ponce, Puerto Rico – Today, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), kicked off its health fair series entitled, Latinos Living Healthy: Feria de Salud in Ponce, Puerto Rico with a donation from Tyson Foods.

The Latinos Living Healthy: Feria de Salud is focused on ensuring that the Latino community has access to healthy food options, and understands the importance of physical activity. As part of the health fair, Tyson Foods, Walmart, Sea Star Lines and LULAC joined forces to donate a truckload of protein to area food banks in Puerto Rico. Tyson Foods has donated more than 100 million pounds of protein since 2000 and this donation in Puerto Rico will ensure that more people in need have access to healthy food.

“Through the Latinos Living Healthy: Feria de Salud, LULAC hopes to address important issues such as hunger and malnutrition by making information and resources available to the community,” said LULAC Vice President for Women, Elsie Valdes. “That is why we are so pleased to kick off the health fair in Puerto Rico with Tyson Foods’ generous donation of 35,000 pounds of protein in Ponce, Puerto Rico. We are also grateful to Walmart and Sea Star Line for their help in making this donation possible.”

The food donation will be provided to Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico which distributes nearly 3 million meals a year to people struggling with hunger. Meat and poultry are high quality sources of protein, and according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans released by USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, protein is considered the most important macronutrient in the human diet. It provides essential amino acids, is a source of energy, and is critical during growth and development. Meat and poultry are excellent sources of iron, which is especially important for women, children and adolescent girls, who are often deficient in iron.

“Protein is the most requested and least available item at food banks,” said Nora Venegas, Tyson Foods Director of Government Relations, “We hope this donation doesn’t just meet that need but raises awareness about the importance of protein in a diet.”

"Currently almost 50 % of the Puerto Rican population struggles to have a plate of healthy food on the table for their families. We feed about 110,000 Puerto Ricans annually who suffer from food insecurity through 450 nonprofit organizations that are assigned to the Food Bank. Thanks to initiatives like these we can contribute to our communities in 78 municipalities, increasing our aid to the most vulnerable sectors. We are very grateful to Tyson Foods and Walmart for joining efforts with the Food Bank of Puerto Rico for this valuable donation,” said Ivonne M. Bernard, Executive Director, Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico.

“We are excited to sponsor the Feria de Salud because it is another way of reaffirming our dedication to the Puerto Rican community to help facilitate healthy lifestyle decisions. We hope the public takes advantage of this opportunity to spend time with their family while learning about adopting healthy lifestyle choices that will continue to positively influence their lives well into the future,” said Iván Báez, Corporate Affairs Director for Walmart Puerto Rico.

“Sea Star Line is committed to the communities we serve and thinks this event is a great fit for our company’s endeavors. We are very excited about partnering with these great organizations for this cause,” said Eduardo Pagan, Vice President and General Manager for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, Sea Star Line LLC.

LULAC, the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in America, among its goals, works to alleviate health disparities in the Hispanic community.

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The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is one of the world's largest processors and marketers of chicken, beef and pork, the second-largest food production company in the Fortune 500 and a member of the S&P 500. The company was founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson, whose family has continued to be involved with son Don Tyson leading the company for many years and grandson John H. Tyson serving as the current Chairman of the Board of Directors. Tyson Foods produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves. The company provides products and services to customers throughout the United States and approximately 130 countries. It has approximately 115,000 Team Members employed at more than 400 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.

Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico is a non-profit Food Bank, founded in 1988 by a group of missionaries. Its primary mission is to satisfy the nutritional needs of children, the sick and needy people found in socio-economic disadvantage. We feed about 110,000 Puerto Ricans annually who suffer from food insecurity, through 450 nonprofit organizations that are assigned to the Food Bank. Annually, it distributes over 4.7 million pounds of products that come from food industry donations.

Walmart Puerto Rico opera actualmente en la Isla 6 tiendas Walmart, 12 tiendas Supercenter, 11 almacenes de membresía Sam’s Club, 23 Supermercados Amigo y 3 Súper Ahorros.

Sea Star Line LLC is headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, and offers integrated transportation services to and from the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. With simultaneous roll-on, roll-off and lift-on, lift-off capabilities, Sea Star vessels are the most versatile and efficient in the trade. Company operations are certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 28000 and Green Office standards. Sea Star Line is a TOTE company, part of the Saltchuk family of companies. For more information, visit www.SeaStarLine.com.