The Smithfield-Luter Foundation has recently expanded its goals to include partnerships designed to strengthen and nurture local communities.

In 2005, Smithfield Foods announced a gift of $5 million, through the Foundation, to Christopher Newport University. Several months later, it made another $5 million donation to the U.Va. Health System to fund cancer research and treatment.

In 2006, the Smithfield-Luter Foundation began funding Learners to Leaders, a national education alliance between Smithfield Foods, its subsidiaries and educational partners in communities where the company is based. Learners to Leaders programs have been launched in Sioux Falls, SD; Denison, IA; and Green Bay, WI. For more information about these programs, visit the Learners to Leaders website.

Smithfield and its subsidiaries are already involved in many volunteer and charitable programs in the communities where the company has a presence. These partnerships are our latest efforts to strengthen those commitments. Please continue to check back as the Foundation looks for new ways to expand this exciting program.