Investments support education, hunger relief, housing and other community
needs
Humboldt, Tenn. – October 16, 2018 – Education, hunger relief, housing and other community needs are
the focus of $500,000 in community grants from Tyson Foods to six non-profit organizations in West
Tennessee. The company announced today that the grants are focused in the City of Humboldt and
Gibson County, where earlier this year the company broke ground on a new chicken processing facility.
A group of Gibson County leaders collaborated with Tyson Foods representatives to provide guidance
and feedback on where the grants would provide the most value in their community.
“These investments are another example of our commitment to the people and community of
Humboldt and Gibson County,” said Doug Ramsey, group president of Poultry for Tyson Foods. “From a
focus on education and hunger relief, to better understanding the potential long-term needs around
housing and child care, we’re identifying where help is needed most and how we can best address those
challenges.”
The company’s efforts to build stronger communities through education include a $175,000 grant to
Humboldt City Schools to purchase 280 laptop computers for use by high school students.
“We are delighted to partner with Tyson Foods to put a computer into the hands of every high school
student, making their education more engaging and positively transforming the way teaching and
learning takes place,” said Dr. Versie R. Hamlett, Humboldt Director of Schools. “The great potential in
this long-range investment is in fostering a culture of student engagement in learning and providing a
learning platform that will develop and enhance post-secondary opportunities for all students.”
In addition, a $150,000 grant was awarded to DONORSCHOOSE.ORG for Gibson County teachers to apply for
microgrants to help fund new projects or curriculum for their classrooms. Teachers can apply for grants
of up to $1,000 each, with special consideration to projects related to agriculture and/or character
development.
A representative from each of the following districts will be identified by the end of October and will
begin communicating next steps to the teachers in their district: Humboldt City School District, Gibson
County School District, Trenton Special School District, Bradford Special School District, and Milan
Special School District.
The University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services (UTCIS) was awarded $115,000 to coordinate
research addressing housing and childcare availability and affordability in Gibson County and
surrounding counties.
“We look forward to working with Tyson Foods and West Tennessee communities to gain a better
understanding of this issue and seek possible solutions,” said Paul Jennings, UTCIS Executive Director.
“Affordable housing and childcare are critical components of workforce development and can impact
both economic growth and quality of life.”
Building on Tyson Foods’ long-standing commitment to address hunger insecurity, $25,000 was awarded
to Helping Hand Pantry in Humboldt, to further enable the pantry to provide daily meals, groceries,
clothing and assistance with rent or utilities to the homeless and disadvantaged in the Gibson County
area.
“After 40 years of feeding people who don’t have enough to eat or assisting them financially to help pay
utility bills, we have recently struggled to maintain our level of service to the community,” said Harry
Davidson, Helping Hand Pantry. “The Tyson Foods grant will allow our doors to remain open and we can
continue to feed more than 700 families a month.”
The Gibson County Sherriff’s Department was also awarded $20,000 for the purchase of a new ATV to
assist in patrolling community events.
The Boys and Girls Club in Humboldt was awarded $15,000 to renovate its “Teen Room” with new paint
and flooring, televisions, gaming equipment and gaming stations, as well as pool tables and table tennis
games.
About Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in
protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under three generations of family leadership, the
company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Ball
Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp® and State Fair®. Tyson Foods innovates continually to make protein more
sustainable, tailor food for everywhere it’s available and raise the world’s expectations for how much
good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has 122,000 team members.
Through its Core Values, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders,
customers, communities and team members and serve as a steward of the animals, land and
environment entrusted to it. Visit WWW.TYSONFOODS.COM.
About DonorsChoose.org
DONORSCHOOSE.ORG is the leading platform for giving to public schools. Teachers across America use the
site to create projects requesting resources their students need, and donors give to the projects that
inspire them. Since its founding by a Bronx teacher in 2000, more than 3.4 million people and partners
have given $740 million to projects reaching 30 million students. Unique among crowdfunding
platforms, the DONORSCHOOSE.ORG team vets each project request and ships resources directly to the
school. Every donor receives photos of their project in action, thank-yous from the classroom, and a cost
report showing how every dollar was spent. DONORSCHOOSE.ORG was the first charity to make the top 10
on Fast Company’s list of the Most Innovative Companies in the World. Visit WWW.DONORSCHOOSE.ORG to
learn more.
Media Contact: DEREK BURLESON, 479-290-6466