Cargill Inc. recently made the second of two donations of whole turkeys to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.

The donation of 35,000 pounds of whole turkeys was made on July 25. Cargill donated 35,867 pounds of turkeys earlier this spring.

“We are pleased to be able to support the noble work of the NWA Foodbank,” said Shane Acosta, general manager, Cargill Protein Group/ Primary Poultry. “We believe it is extremely important for people to be properly nourished. When people have enough good food to eat, both they, and their communities, are better able to Thrive.”

“That’s a point of view that we’ve maintained as part of Cargill’s values and guiding principles since the company’s founding over 150 years ago, and it’s as relevant today as it was in 1865,” he said.

Kent Eikenberry, president and CEO of the Food Bank, said, “This is my third holiday season as president of the Food Bank. For each of the two previous years, we have run short on turkeys for the holidays. This generous donation will help us prepare for the demand and help serve those in need. We are grateful to Cargill for this donation and their continued support.”

The donated turkeys will be ready for distribution on Oct. 1, he said.

There are more than 63,000 people with food insecurities in the four counties -- Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington – served by the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and its more than 160 partner agencies.