Farmland Partners With Mark Schlereth to Fight Hunger This Holiday Season

DENVER, Dec. 02, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Farmland is partnering with former professional football player and current sportscaster Mark Schlereth, Food Bank of the Rockies, and Santa Claus to help fight hunger this holiday season. Schlereth and Farmland are spreading the word that while milk and cookies are great, what Santa really wants this year is glorious bacon! From now through Dec. 24, for every person that pledges on social media to leave bacon for Santa this Christmas Eve, Farmland will donate one pound of protein to the local Denver-area food bank.

The campaign will kick off at Wynkoop Plaza at Union Station with a launch event on Dec. 2. Starting noon local time, Schlereth will join Farmland and Santa’s elves to rally Denver residents to leave bacon for Santa this year and trigger a donation to the food bank. All locals are encouraged to come out for the chance to meet-and-greet with Schlereth, enjoy some delicious bacon treats, and give back to their community.   

“What I love about the Farmland Bacon for Santa campaign is how it combines two things I’m most passionate about – giving back to those in need and my love of bacon,” said Mark Schlereth. “I’m thrilled to partner with Farmland to help give Santa what he really wants for Christmas and more importantly to help alleviate hunger in the Denver area this holiday season.”

Fans can make the pledge by simply sharing the hashtag #BaconForSanta on their social media channels now through Dec. 24. For every pledge received, Farmland will donate one pound of protein to Food Bank of the Rockies, up to 25,000 pounds.

“Giving back to the local communities we serve is a cornerstone of Farmland’s core values, so we’re excited to be working with Mark and Food Bank of the Rockies to support such a great cause,” said Dennis Pittman, Senior Director of Corporate Communications for the Farmland Brand. “With your help, we can kick off Santa’s journey with flavorful, sizzling bacon – as so many do to start their Christmas morning.”

“With 1 in 7 Coloradans, including nearly 1 in 4 children, unsure of where their next meal will come from, it’s vital that we provide as much support as possible to help battle food insecurity,” said Kevin Seggelke, President and CEO of Food Bank of the Rockies. “We’re pleased to partner with Farmland on this campaign to help raise awareness for domestic hunger and ensure more families have meals this holiday season.”

To learn more about the Farmland Bacon for Santa campaign from Jolly Old St. Nick himself, visit www.FarmlandBaconClub.com. In addition to hearing Santa’s plea for bacon, bacon aficionados can sign up for exclusive bacon content and a chance to win a Bacon Club sweater now through Dec. 31.

For more information on Farmland, please visit FarmlandFoods.com, @FarmlandFoods or www.Facebook.com/FarmlandFoods. Farmland is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Farmland
At Farmland, we are passionate about pork. We have been since 1959, when we first started working side-by-side with American farm families to offer the best quality pork cuts. More than 50 years later, our unsurpassed passion and pride are stronger than ever, serving retail and foodservice customers across the United States and in 25 countries on five continents. Our natural, fresh pork products — bacon, chops, loins, ribs, sausage and ham — are tender, flavorful and made with the highest quality ingredients. To learn more about Farmland's passion for pork, please visit www.FarmlandFoods.com and www.Facebook.com/FarmlandFoods. Farmland is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, John Morrell®, Gwaltney®, Nathan's Famous®, Kretschmar®, Margherita®, Curly's®, Carando® and Healthy Ones®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.

About Food Bank of the Rockies
Food Bank of the Rockies, a non-profit organization, distributed nearly 44 million meals last year through our direct service programs and partner agencies, serving clients in Northern Colorado, including Metro Denver, and the entire state of Wyoming. 1 in 7 Coloradans, including nearly 1 in 4 Colorado children, struggle with hunger.  Since 1978, FBR has provided more than 519 million meals to people in need in our community. Food Bank of the Rockies is a member of Feeding America.  For additional information, please visit www.foodbankrockies.org.  “Like” FBR on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our blog!

Media Contacts:

Hunter PR for Farmland
Michael Bernardini
(484) 612-3505
[email protected]

Farmland
Diana Souder
(757) 357-1675
[email protected]

Food Bank of the Rockies
Ben Walther
(303) 375-5852
[email protected]