Food bank to give away Tyson poultry in Waldron

FORT SMITH — The River Valley Regional Food Bank will distribute more than 40,000 pounds of chicken to the public for free on Thursday in Waldron.

The distribution will be at Waldron High School, 1560 W. 6th St.

Tyson Foods in Springdale donated the frozen chicken products to the food bank for the public distribution, the food bank announced Tuesday. The distribution will begin at 10 a.m. and will end when all meat has been dispersed.

The distribution will be a drive-through on a firstcome, first-serve basis. Vehicles should enter the high school parking lot from Arkansas 80. Each vehicle will receive one 40-pound box, with no identification or proof of residency being required, according to the release.

The public is asked to respect appropriate social distancing guidelines. Participants must stay in their vehicle, keep their window up, and open their truck when asked for loading.

Staff will load the items in a participant’s trunk or truck bed. They will not load any items inside the main compartment of vehicles. Participants are asked to have enough room in their trunk or truck bed for the donation.

“The donation — a 40-pound box of chicken product that may be shared with friends and family — is tied to Tyson’s strategic long-term partnership with the [River Valley Regional Food Bank],” according to the news release. “In addition to donations of frozen protein products, the company’s grants over the years have allowed us to expand freezer capacity, which allows the food bank to house more food to distribute to its clients.”

Thursday’s donation comes after Tyson donated 73,000 pounds of meat to the food bank on April 1 and distributed in Fort Smith.