The Delta Network Foodbank and Tyson Foods fed families during the entire month of December 2025 into the first week of January 2026. Tyson Foods’ local plant made this major hunger relief effort possible by donating two truckloads of Tyson Chicken to the Delta Network Foodbank. Through a major coordinated effort conducted by Delta Foodbank, protein was made available to thousands of families in 10 counties from Dec. 6, 2025, well into the beginning of the New Year.
A plan was developed by the food bank to first conduct a drive through Winter Hunger Relief event on Saturday, Dec. 6. This event was held at the Delta Network Headquarters located at No. 11 Portea Drive in Pine Bluff from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The distribution was well attended with over 1,200 families receiving product during the drive-thru hours. In addition to the families served during the event, Delta Network Foodbank strategically donated chicken to 38 community service organizations to take back to their agencies to continue feeding families during the Christmas holiday and into the new year while the kids were out of school for the holiday.
These organizations included those providing hot meals daily, homeless shelters, schools, food pantries from Pine Bluff/Jefferson County and 10 other counties serving the Arkansas Delta region. Product donations were also made to organizations planning distributions throughout the month with attention given to make sure that all food would continue to be available in the Watson Chapel, Dollarway, northside, eastside Pine Bluff and Jefferson County areas.
Delta Network Foodbank is a Tyson Foods Community Partner Pantry and will be coordinating other events to provide hunger relief to citizens in need of food subsidy. We would like to thank Tyson Foods and its local management for this more than generous donation. The donation provided food for families facing crisis because of layoffs, families having to recertify through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed) population, the homeless, people referred by the Veterans Administration, behavioral health care, hospitals, and the Pine Bluff Housing Authority, the elderly and families living in food deserts. Arkansas continues to be No. 1 in food insecurity in the nation. The need for nutrition subsidy is great, especially protein, and thanks to Tyson Foods, our hunger relief distribution helped to meet that need.
We would like to thank everyone that helped with this event. Special thanks to our local Tyson Foods Plant and its management team, United Way of Southeast Arkansas, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department for providing traffic control, Delta Network partner agencies, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta sororities, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, the UAPB Social Work Department, The Heat Magazine, THB News, the City of Pine Bluff, Common Ground Ministry, and the many volunteers and supporters that helped.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
If you would like to financially support Delta Network Inc., you may do so by mailing your checks payable to: Delta Network Inc., P. O. Box 20278, White Hall, AR 71612, or call our office for instructions on other means to make donations. Delta Network Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization; therefore all donations are tax deductible.
Please call (870) 536-2424 for additional information concerning our organization. We invite you to visit our Facebook page @DeltaRegionalCommunityServicesOutreach. Our motto is “Together We Can Make a Difference.” Thanks to Tyson Foods for helping us make a difference in the lives of the people we serve. Louis Ross is the CEO and Jacqueline Ross is the director of the Delta Network Inc.
Jacqueline Ross is the director of the Delta Network Inc.