Smithfield Foods donated $100,000 to Thelma’s Kitchen, based in Kansas City, Missouri, and A Place at the Table, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, to create affordable access to nutritious food through local pay-what-you-can café models.
“At Smithfield, hunger relief is one of our top priorities and we’re committed to doing our part to fight food insecurity in our local communities,” said Steve Evans, vice president of community development for Smithfield Foods. “Through the incredible work of Thelma’s Kitchen and A Place at the Table, we can help ensure that no one goes hungry while fostering a culture of respect for the neighbors being served.”
Thelma’s Kitchen was founded by longtime Kansas City resident Thelma Altschul, who was known for feeding neighbors in need with a hot, home-cooked meal. Established more than three decades ago, Thelma’s Kitchen is Kansas City’s first pay-what-you-can café. The organization recently unveiled a newly renovated facility that will increase the number of meals that can be served daily.
“We are beyond excited for this next era of Thelma’s Kitchen to begin and have sorely missed seeing our neighbors face-to-face every day and growing the connection within our community,” said Chef Natasha Bailey, head chef for Thelma’s Kitchen. “A huge thank you to Smithfield Foods for helping us kickstart the grand reopening by providing meat for our menu and a $50,000 gift. Generous donations like theirs help us pay it forward for our neighbors who are food insecure.”
A Place at the Table is Raleigh’s first pay-what-you-can restaurant. Founded by Maggie Kane in 2018, the organization is on a mission to build a sense of community and provide good food for all regardless of means and has served more than 200,000 meals to neighbors facing food insecurity. The organization recently expanded its operations to include a food truck called The Travelin’ Table that will increase access to restaurant-quality meals and meet neighbors where they are throughout the greater Raleigh area.
“We are so grateful for the support of Smithfield and so excited to partner with them to launch The Travelin’ Table, our pay-what-you-can mission on wheels,” said Maggie Kane, founder and executive director for A Place at the Table. “With the help of Smithfield, we get to expand our mission to serve good food and foster community, regardless of means, beyond our downtown Raleigh location.”
Smithfield is committed to providing hunger relief in local communities and supports pay-what-you-can food models that will help provide access to affordable and nutritious food. Smithfield recently donated $100,000 to Ripe for Revival, a mobile food retail market that offers fresh, local and healthy food options to neighbors facing food insecurity through pay-what-you-can prices.
Smithfield’s hunger relief program, Helping Hungry Homes®, has provided hundreds of millions of servings of protein all 50 U.S. states, as well as in Poland, Romania and Mexico, since 2008. Smithfield donated nearly 28 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs across the U.S. in 2023 and has pledged to donate 200 million servings of protein by 2025.
For more information about Smithfield’s programs to support local communities, please visit smithfieldfoods.com/helping-communities.
