Tyson to donate 30,000 pounds of food

Tyson Foods Inc. has plans to donate more than 30,000 pounds of protein products to a food bank in eastern Oklahoma, according to a news release.

For the seventh-consecutive year, the nation’s largest meat company is working with nonprofit Lift Up America and the University of Tulsa, whose student athletes will help distribute food for community service hours.

The Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma works with more than 40 programs, distributing more than 396,000 meals a week in the region.

Spokesman Derek Burleson said Tyson has done “carbon-copies” of this with other universities nationwide, including those in Tyson’s own backyard.

In March, the Springdale-based company joined with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville to donate nearly 40,000 pounds of meat to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, which serves over 60 neighbor agencies.

For fiscal 2017, Tyson Foods has donated more than 3.4 million pounds of products to hunger-relief organizations and Feeding America food banks in Arkansas, according to Burleson.