Chicken Cook List Trimmed

Clubs Lose Revenue After Tyson Alters Donation Program

Mark Kruger, from left, Rick Stocker and James Willett grill chicken Saturday to raise money for the Heritage High School’s Future Farmers of America in Rogers. Willett said the benefit chicken cooks, held at Second and Locust streets in Rogers, have raised $40,000 for a variety of organizations this year. Each event raises $1,000 to $1,300 for the benefiting group, Willett said.
Mark Kruger, from left, Rick Stocker and James Willett grill chicken Saturday to raise money for the Heritage High School’s Future Farmers of America in Rogers. Willett said the benefit chicken cooks, held at Second and Locust streets in Rogers, have raised $40,000 for a variety of organizations this year. Each event raises $1,000 to $1,300 for the benefiting group, Willett said.

— One man has turned tons of grilled chicken into scholarships, uniforms, equipment and other benefits for local students and some clubs over the past 50 years.

“I have no idea how many chickens we have cooked,” said Whitey Smith, the man behind Whitey’s chicken. “It was something I just started doing to help the kids.”

Smith and his chicken cooking crews have grilled for just about every Rogers team in middle school and high school. Service clubs, such as the Optimists, Altrusa, the Wounded Warrior Project, Mountie Football Moms, the Boy Scouts and in some cases individuals in need of help were added to the beneficiary list.

This year Smith and his volunteer crews cooked chicken 40 days, with all proceeds going to school athletics and local clubs. That will likely change next year, Smith said.

Fast Facts

Whitey Smith

Whitey Smith graduated from Rogers High School in 1955 where he was a football player.

He was the first Rogers player to play in the Arkansas High School All-Star game.

He volunteered to run chains at the football games after he graduated and operated the clock for boys basketball for 23 years.

He coached Pee Wee football and Little League baseball.

In 2000 he won a national award for volunteerism from National Sporting Good Manufacturing Association, which included an $18,000 check. He used the money to set up a special account for athletic team needs.

It’s estimated he has raised more than $1 million for youth activities.

Source: Staff Report

Tyson Foods has been the mainstay of donated food, giving tons of chicken, beef and pork to a variety of charities. Tyson corporate officials announced more than a year ago they were going to change the way they donate food. A company spokeswoman said last month the requests for donations had increased to the point it was difficult to manage, and a new charitable giving program was needed.

“We are changing how our corporate charitable giving programs will be structured. The corporate Tyson program of product and monetary donations is about $10 million to $15 million a year,” said Annetta Young, director of corporate philanthropy at Tyson. “We want to align the program to allow us to make a better impact in the communities we serve.”

Corporate donations of product and money will focus on hunger relief through Feeding America, food pantries and soup kitchens, Young said.

Individual Tyson plants will still have some latitude in their charitable giving programs. Plants have a charitable budget and can give money or product based on the needs of their community, Young said.

“I don’t know which plant Smith has been getting product from. It could be the plant budget may have been reduced, therefore the plant can’t supply as much product as it has in the past,” Young said.

The majority of chicken Smith received this year was from Tyson corporation, he said.

“They told me I wouldn’t get as much help from corporate as I have in the past,” he said.

“That means we aren’t going to be able to have as many chicken cooks next year. We are going to have to trim the list,” said Smith, who finished this year’s cooks Saturday.

It means a loss of revenue for some clubs, such as the Altrusa Club, which is one of the groups Smith cut from the list for next year.

“Whitey’s chicken is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Jennifer Gray, Rogers club president. “We are a small, but mighty club. It will be difficult for us to find another fundraiser that would provide the money we need for a charitable work.”

Dental hygiene and literacy are Altrusa’s two major programs.

“We’ve always been associated with dentistry. We try to help the children whose parents can’t afford a dentist. We also have a program where we give children books and help them learn to read,” Gray said.

Gray said she thinks Smith will still be able to cook chickens for the club.

“We’ve talked to Whitey, and he seems to think we might get the chickens somewhere else and still be able to raise money. We’ll just have to wait and see,” Gray said.

Other groups that will be cut from the chicken cooking roster next year include DECA, Mountie Football Moms, the Boy Scouts, the Optimist Club and Future Farmers of America.

Rick Stocker, a member of the Optimist Club, said he wasn’t surprised when he learned the Optimist Club chicken cook wouldn’t be on the list next year.

“Tyson told us several months ago we wouldn’t be getting donated chickens. We’ve had the time to adjust,” Stocker said. “There are no hard feelings. I don’t blame Tyson. They are doing what they feel they have to do. The chicken cook was just one of our fundraisers. We should be able to make up the difference through our golf tournament, Christmas tree sales and other activities.”

The Optimist Club supports scholarships, American Legion baseball, Shop With A Cop, a children’s fishing derby and other programs benefiting children.

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