Tyson Foods Mobilizes Quickly to Help in the Aftermath of Severe Weather

Spring and early summer were marked by several extreme weather events in the U.S. this year, leaving communities to deal with property damage, power outages and lack of access to food and clean water.

Tyson Foods is committed to the communities in which we live and work. When disaster strikes, we're prepared to respond quickly with a fleet of mobile kitchens and resources to help an entire community-and that's just what we did when communities in Texas, Iowa and Arkansas were struck by extreme storms and flooding.

As part of our efforts, we rolled out our new Meals that Matter® Mobile Command Center. The Mobile Command Center is a 53-foot company trailer equipped with the latest technology, electronic equipment and seven workstations with Wi-Fi to offer increased connectivity and enhanced services when communities need it most.

"We donate more than just protein when disasters strike-we also deliver hope," said Michelle Mullins, Director of Operations, Food Loss and Waste at Tyson Foods. "Helping community members in need is at the heart of our company's purpose: Tyson Foods. We feed the world like family.™"

Helping Out After Hurricane Beryl Hits Houston

When Category 1 Hurricane Beryl made landfall in early July, it knocked out electricity for nearly 3 million people in Texas and caused severe flooding. Tyson Foods responded quickly by dispatching its Mobile Command Center and 33 volunteers. During their six-day deployment, the team served hot meals, ice and water, along with sides in partnership with Walmart. Tyson Foods also donated 61,890 pounds of protein - the equivalent of 247,560 servings - to the Houston Food Bank.*

Rallying Relief After Record Flooding in Sioux City

In late June, Sioux City, Iowa, experienced devastating floods when storms caused Big Sioux River to reach record heights and overflow. The Tyson Foods Meals that Matter program kicked into high gear, sending 99 volunteers to serve 2,300 hot meals over four days to Sioux City community members. We also donated 60,000 pounds of protein, the equivalent of 240,000 servings, to four local food banks and pantries.*

Turning up to Tackle Tornado Damage in Rogers

Seven tornadoes struck Benton and Madison counties in northwest Arkansas at the end of May, including an EF3 funnel in Decatur. The storms left thousands without power and caused widespread property damage.

Tyson Foods took immediate steps to help the region after it lost homes, transportation and access to grocery stores and local food pantries: We made a one-year commitment to provide financial support to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank (NWAFB).

"Tyson Foods takes seriously its role in making each and every community better, and this is never more imperative than in times of crisis during the recent storms in Northwest Arkansas," said Tim Grailer, Tyson Foods Senior Director of Community Impact. "We know that the needs of the communities will exceed the immediate response, and that is why we are investing in continuing to support mobile pantries for a full year in partnership with the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank (NWAFB)."

Tyson Foods' sponsorship makes it possible for NWAFB to continue the work of its pantries without interruption or reining in other disaster recovery activities. Each mobile pantry will come monthly to the five affected communities, distributing premade boxes of shelf-stable products, frozen protein and fresh produce on a first-come-first-served basis.

The deliveries are expected to serve approximately 1,300 people in almost 500 families per month in the five communities combined.

"The storms that hit Northwest Arkansas at the end of May were devastating for so many communities," said NWAFB CEO and President Kent Elkenberry. "The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank is on the frontline of responding with innovative programs like mobile pantries that reach communities that lack infrastructure. We are grateful for Tyson Foods for supporting these efforts and for the impact our partnership will have on these communities over the next 12 months."

During the first five days after the storms, our Meals that Matter program partnered with Walmart to help distribute approximately 5,000 meals a day-more than 30,000 in total, plus water and ice. Almost 300 Tyson Foods team members - the most ever deployed to a disaster relief site-volunteered to help distribute food, convey critical public safety information and support first responders and law enforcement officers.

Thirty Deployments Since 2017

Our efforts in Houston represent the 30th time Tyson Foods has deployed support to a natural disaster site since 2017. To date this year, we have supported communities in Georgia, Indiana, Maryland and Oklahoma, in addition to Texas, Iowa and Arkansas. That support includes providing 485,200 pounds of protein, which represents 1.94 million servings*.

In 2023, Tyson Foods donated a record amount of more than 40 million pounds of protein overall, the equivalent of 160 million servings or 1,300 truckloads, to community organizations and people in need across the United States.*

*Tyson Foods estimates that 4 ounces of protein equates to one serving.