Tyson donates to food bank

Tyson Foods has made another donation to help fight hunger.

The company announced Thursday that it is providing $25,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana to support hunger relief in the Portland area.

The funding will be used to support the “food tailgate” program that Second Harvest puts on in partnership with the United Way of Jay County. The event is typically held monthly, but the frequency has been increased during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Feeding America projects that 42 million people … may experience food insecurity in 2021,” said Tyson senior manager of corporate social responsibility Garrett Dolan in a press release. “At Tyson, we’re honored to do our part to reduce food insecurity in the communities around the country that our team members live and work.”

In April, Tyson Mexican Original in Portland donated 41,413 pounds to Helping Hands Food Bank through its “Miles that Matter” program.



POET purchases

POET announced Tuesday that it has acquired the bioethanol assets of Flint Hills Resources.

The company, which operates an ethanol biorefining facility in rural Portland, is expanding its production capacity by 40% with the purchase. Flint Hills had six bioprocessing facilities in Iowa and Nebraska, bringing POET to a total of 33 bioprocessing facilities in eight states with a total capacity of 3 billion gallons.

“This acquisition will increase POET’s ability to bring even more high-quality, plant-based biofuels and bioproducts to the world — allowing us to have an even bigger impact on fighting climate change and cleaning our air,” said POET founder and CEO Jeff Broin in a press release.



Optum announced

Optum announced this week that it plans to build a new medical office development in Muncie.

The company plans to open the facility adjacent to the current American Health Network offices on Morrison Road, north of McGalliard Road. The first phase of the development will be a 25,000-square-foot facility, with construction starting this year and planned opening in spring 2022.

“American Health Network has a strong presence in the Delaware County market,” Optum vice president of enterprise development LaRae Eggleston said in a press release. “In listening to our patients, they don’t want to drive all the way to Indianapolis. They need more of these services locally. ‘What is the greatest need?’ drives what goes into these plans.”



Cutting scheduled

Jay County Chamber of Commerce has a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for next week.

A ribbon-cutting for Mustard Seed Remodeling will be held at noon Friday at the chamber office, 118 S. Meridian St., Portland.



Faculty honored

Six Purdue University faculty members have been named U.S. Fulbright Faculty Scholars.

Earning the Fulbright awards were Kingsly Ambrose, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, Brenda M. Capobianco, professor of science education and engineering education, Craig J. Goergen, the Leslie A. Geddes Associate Professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Tamara Kinzer-Ursem, the Marta E. Gross Associate Professor, Zoe Taylor, associate professor of human development and family studies, and Scott Bartholomew, formerly assistant professor of engineering technology.

The faculty members will teach and conduct research at facilities in Europe, the Philippines and India.



Lilly authorized

Eli Lilly this week received an emergency use approval in Indiana for its antibody drug combination for treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19, Reuters reported this week

The company’s drugs bamlanivimab and etesevimab were OK’d for restricted use in emergency situations for adults in hospitals. The drugs mimic the body’s natural antibodies to fight infection.



McDonald’s testing

McDonald’s is testing an automated drive-thru system, Food & Wine reported this week.

The magazine said McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski discussed the trial during the AllianceBernstein Strategic Decisions Conference on Wednesday. The technology is being tested at 10 locations in Chicago.

“Do I think in five years from now you’re going to see a voice in the drive-thru? I do, but I don’t think that this is going to be something that happens in the next year or so,” Kempczinski reportedly said. “There’s still a lot of work, but I do feel confident that the acquisition that we did with Apprente, the work that we’ve done since then, we feel good about the technical feasibility of it and the business case.”



Closing again

Walmart announced Friday that all of its U.S. stores will be closed on Thanksgiving.

The company referred to the decisions as a “thank you” to its associates for their hard work during the pandemic. The move was announced at Walmart’s associated celebration meeting. (Walmart stores were also closed on Thanksgiving Day in 2020.)

“Throughout the pandemic, our associates have been nothing short of heroic in how they have stepped up to serve our customers and their communities,” said Walmart U.S. executive vice president and chief operating officer Dacona Smith. “Closing our stores on Thanksgiving Day is one way we’re saying ‘thank you’ … We hope everyone will take the opportunity to be with their loved ones during what’s always a special time.”