WORTHINGTON — The JBS pork processing facility in Worthington announced a $500,000 “Hometown Strong” donation to the Worthington Regional Health Care Foundation, Inc. during a press conference Thursday morning at the JBS Fieldhouse.
Jeff Rotert, executive director of WRHCF, said the money will be designated toward “community amenity projects that come through grant requests,” and will likely be focused toward benefiting youth in the Worthington area.
The donation makes JBS the first-ever corporate Legacy Partner with WRHCF. Rotert said he hopes this is the first of many, from both local community and individual partners.
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“I’m thrilled JBS is our first partner,” said Jenny Andersen-Martinez, WRHCF board chairwoman. “I think we’ve all seen the landscape in Worthington change over the last few years in a good way. A lot of things have come to fruition, like the splash pad, all-inclusive playground and (fishing) dock, and those are the kind of things we look forward to being able to contribute to with JBS’ contribution.”
Rotert said the Hometown Strong partnership with JBS has been in the works for about three years, when WRHCF originally approached JBS about potentially working together.
The Hometown Strong initiative came to be following the COVID-19 pandemic, when JBS pledged $100 million to be dispersed between all of its locations around the United States. Of that pledge, the Worthington plant received $3 million.
“Making Worthington a better place to live through meaningful projects is one of the primary purposes of our Hometown Strong Initiative,” said Matt Altman, General Manager of JBS Worthington in a press release.
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