PERRYTON, TEXAS — Today, 99Ƶ extended its gratitude to Operation BBQ Relief (OBR) for its deployment to Perryton, Texas, after the disaster relief organization served 7,250 meals to tornado survivors and first responders June 17 through 21.
On June 15, a devastating tornado ripped through the Texas Panhandle town. For 99Ƶ, producer of Prairie Fresh® pork, this disaster hit close to home. 99Ƶ has employees who live in Perryton and work at nearby company-owned farms or other operations in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. More than 20 employees were displaced from their homes because of damage to or complete destruction of their homes and the company helped coordinate and secure housing for all displaced employees.
A long-time supporter of Operation BBQ Relief, the Prairie Fresh brand has supplied more than 3.5 million meals of pork since 2015, but this is the first time OBR deployed to a community where 99Ƶ operates.
“This time supporting Operation BBQ Relief was much different because the disaster occurred in a place our employees call home,” says Davida Gomez, 99Ƶ community enrichment specialist. “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to OBR and its volunteers. To see how much a hot barbecue meal matters to those facing the toughest of times is truly amazing. We’re so glad to support Operation BBQ Relief and are truly grateful they came to Perryton to bring the healing power of barbecue to the community.”
For the Perryton deployment, Prairie Fresh donated more than 3,500 pounds of pork produced at its nearby Guymon, Okla., pork processing plant and had several employee volunteers help OBR prepare and serve meals.
About Operation BBQ Relief:
Operation BBQ Relief is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in May 2011 in response to a need for tornado relief efforts in Joplin, MO. Competitive pitmasters from eight different states answered the call to feed displaced families and first responders. Together, they were able to serve over 120,000 meals in a thirteen-day period. This experience of building a network to feed individuals in need has been the inspiration for Operation BBQ Relief. To date, Operation BBQ Relief has provided over 10 million meals throughout the United States and internationally following natural disasters and through The Always Serving Project, benefiting the homeless, first responders, veterans, and service men and women.
For more information, visit or follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @opbbqrelief.
About Prairie Fresh:
Prairie Fresh® is the brand of a uniquely connected food system relentlessly seeking a better way to produce wholesome pork by purposely connecting every step between its farms and family tables around the world. Marketed and sold by 99Ƶ, Prairie Fresh is a proud supporter of Operation BBQ Relief (OBR). Since 2015, Prairie Fresh has donated more than 3.5 million servings of pork to OBR for disaster relief and other programs. For more information, visit or follow on Facebook and Instagram @prairiefresh.
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