JBS USA, a leading, global food company and the largest employer in Marshalltown, Iowa, announced a $1 million investment to assist JBS USA team members, and to support long-term rebuilding efforts and community recovery needs due to the July 19 tornado.

As part of the company’s efforts to lend support to the Marshalltown community, JBS USA has donated $200,000 to Mid-Iowa Community Action Inc., a private, nonprofit organization that has served children and families in vulnerable situations in central Iowa since 1965.

“I don’t have to tell anyone from Marshalltown what a huge impact the tornado has had on our community’s families. We, at MICA, have seen literally hundreds of those families in the last two weeks,” says Arlene McAtee, MICA executive director. “The needs are large and diverse. This enormously generous gift from JBS is not only about addressing these needs, but telling the families and the community that there is hope and there are many in the JBS family who want to share in their recovery. We are very humbled by and grateful for this gift. It will be used to help so many families with their immediate needs and assist them with their longer-term recovery.”

The distribution center of the JBS USA pork processing plant in Marshalltown, Iowa, was heavily damaged by an EF-3 tornado July 19.

JBS USA has also donated $200,000 to the Rebuild Marshalltown Fund, which was established by the Community Foundation of Marshall County to raise funds to support community rebuilding efforts.

Related:JBS Marshalltown plant to resume operations Tuesday

“The Community Foundation of Marshall County is dedicated to helping people help their community,” says Dylan Does, Community Foundation of Marshall County director. “During this trying time, we have seen the power of this mission in action as our community has come together to help our neighbors in need. We are incredibly grateful for JBS’s generosity and commitment to Marshalltown and the Rebuild Marshalltown Fund and it will be used for the significant rebuilding that lies ahead.”

JBS USA employs more than 2,300 team members in Marshalltown, many of whom suffered losses due to the tornado. To directly support its workforce, JBS USA has committed to paying all Marshalltown team members for a lost day of work due to the plant shutdown and the resulting reduced work hours. JBS USA has also provided financial assistance to those team members who were directly impacted by the storm.

In addition, the JBS USA Marshalltown team has participated in local cleanup efforts, helping to remove debris and repair community homes, and hosted two community events, working alongside Iowa Select Farms, and local organizations and businesses, to grill and provide free food and drink to members of the community. Combined with individual donations from JBS USA and Pilgrim’s Pride team members via the United Way, the company has provided an additional $600,000 to assist Marshalltown team members and the Marshalltown community.

“We are humbled to contribute to the relief efforts in our hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa,” says Todd Carl, JBS USA Marshalltown plant manager. “This community has provided support to our plant and our team members for as long as I can remember. Our partnership with the community has been a major contributor to our long-term success. We are proud to be a part of Marshalltown and will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the community as we rebuild.”

The JBS USA Marshalltown pork facility processes more than 5 million pigs per year, feeding approximately 80 million people per week. The facility is frequently visited by business associates from across the United States, Hong Kong, China, Japan and Mexico, among others.

“Marshalltown is without question one of our flagship operations across the entire JBS global enterprise,” says Martin Dooley, president and COO, JBS USA Pork. “We routinely bring consumers, customers and foreign dignitaries to see the plant and experience the community of Marshalltown. The plant and the town are well-known and respected all around the world. We hope that getting the plant up and running again coupled with our financial investment in the community will help bring some modest amount of relief and comfort to the people of Marshalltown.”

The Marshalltown plant has been an integral part of the community since 1880 and was acquired by JBS USA in 2007.

“We have a long and storied history in Marshalltown,” Dooley says. “I lived and worked in Marshalltown for several years, so this devastating event resonates with me personally. We just want to do our part to help Marshalltown not only recover, but come back stronger than ever.”

JBS USA is a leading processor of beef, pork and prepared foods products in the United States, beef in Canada and beef, pork, lamb and prepared foods products in Australia. JBS USA processes, prepares, packages and delivers fresh, further-processed and value-added beef, pork and lamb products for sale to customers in more than 100 countries on six continents. JBS USA is also a majority shareholder of Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., the largest poultry company in North America and owner of Moy Park, a leading poultry and prepared foods company in Europe. For more information, visit JBSSA.com.

JBS Pork in Marshalltown is a two-shift, pork processing facility, distribution center and warehouse centrally located in Iowa near Interstates 80 and 35. The facility employs more than 2,300 team members and is a key pork export plant, exporting approximately 30% of production to 26 different countries including Japan, Hong Kong, Mexico and China. The facility processes more than 5 million pigs per year and has the ability to feed approximately 80 million people per week.

Source: JBS USA