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Donnie Smith, CEO and president of Tyson Foods Inc., catches a poster that falls while Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith makes her comments at the announcement of Tyson's participation in a pilot program with the National Urban League targeting hunger in Mississippi, Thursday, June 21, 2012, in Jackson, Miss. The program is designed to reduce hunger in Mississippi, one of the poorest states in the nation. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
It seems like a contradiction.
Yet, state Agriculture Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith says the two problems are intertwined with Mississippi's high poverty rate. Thousands can't necessarily afford nutritious food. Or, they might not know how to prepare balanced meals on tight budgets.
The nonprofit National Urban League and meat processor Tyson Foods are starting a yearlong program to battle hunger for about 19,000 people in Mississippi.
Tyson is donating 30,400 pounds of chicken, and the program aims to improve food distribution to the needy. Officials also plan events where people can learn to prepare nutritious meals with little money.