Arnold's Smithfield Foods donates 7,000 pounds of sausage to those in need

Families who went to a food distribution Thursday in Harmar were the first to benefit from a donation of more than 7,000 pounds of sausage from Arnold’s Smithfield Foods.

Smithfield donated the first 3,200 pounds of breakfast links to the Compassion Network. A truck from 412 Food Rescue took 80 cases weighing 40 pounds each to Feeding the Flock in Harmar, where it became a surprise addition to the weekly distribution serving about 300 families.

The rest of the sausage, 97 cases totaling 3,880 pounds, will be picked up and distributed next week.

While Smithfield makes regular donations, this was the single largest from the Arnold facility, plant Manager Chris Matarrese said. The plant, which employs about 170 people, makes sausage patties, breakfast links, meatballs and crumbles for retail and food service.

The donated breakfast links were left from a discontinued product, Matarrese said.

“We’re fortunate to have some left over,” he said. “We want to put it to good use.”

On Thursday, each family could receive one 10-pound bag of sausage, Feeding the Flock director Michele Bock said.

“I love it. I’m excited and extremely grateful,” Bock said. “This will be a bonus, which at Easter is great.”

Each 10-pound bag contained 213 links, said Michele Frederick, associate safety coordinator at Smithfield.

To make the donation, Frederick contacted Mark Resetar, director and founder of the Compassion Network, a group of churches, ministries and nonprofits serving the Arnold, New Kensington and Lower Burrell areas.

Feeding the Flock was one of six to receive part of the Smithfield donation, Resetar said.

“Meat is something everybody wants, and it’s hard to come by in the food donation world,” said Jared Belsky, a food recovery operations associate with 412 Food Rescue.

In addition to Feeding the Flock and the network itself, Resetar said other recipients will be Until the Whole World Knows ministry, which serves the Vandergrift area; Lower Valley Food Bank; Verona United Methodist Church; and the Light of Life rescue mission in Pittsburgh.

“When we get a big donation like this, we try to split it so more people in the area can be helped,” Resetar said.

Feeding the Flock gets most of its food through the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Bock said. This was the second time it received a donation from Smithfield.

While they always have meat, sausage is rare, and Bock said getting it was a blessing.

“They can feel free to donate more if they want,” she said.