Smithfield Foods grant will assist minority students

A two-year partnership with Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences will yield $500,000 in grants from Smithfield Foods.

The company headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia — which has the world’s largest pork production facility in Tar Heel — is aligned with a nonprofit organization that pursues excellence in leadership, scholarship and service through fostering involvement of membership from diverse backgrounds in the field of agriculture, a release says.

The investment will help “create a diverse K-12 student pipeline interested in food, agriculture and natural resource careers. To help this next generation of leaders achieve future success, Smithfield and MANRRS have created the Smithfield Jr. MANRRS Scholars Program to expose minority students to STEM-related disciplines through a series of educational programs and curricula aimed at expanding their agricultural acumen.”

Also, the release says, Smithfield will aid Historically Black Colleges and Universities by strengthening student candidates for industry leadership roles. The Smithfield Foods 1890 Leadership program will enable high school seniors to receive a $5,000 scholarship to attend an HBCU of their choice and participate in the collegiate MANRRS chapter.

Summer stipends for underclass students to take part in research and immersion programs as well as a nationwide eMentoring program are also a part of the initiative.