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WASHINGTON - Paula Deen, the queen of southern cuisine, is visiting D.C. to participate in the Metropolitan Cook-in Event and while she was here, she and Smithfield Foods made a major donation to the Capital Area Food Bank.

Deen says when people think of her, they think of food. "So it's only appropriate that when I come visiting, I bring food. That's what southerners do," said Deen. The Food Network star and Smithfield Foods delivered 25,000 pounds of ham to the Capital Area Food Bank.

She says it's a privileged to help and the food bank can certainly use it. "Listen to this. Do you know how long that 25,000 pounds of food is going to last? You know hunger is a constant thing," said Deen. Food bank officials say in about a month's time, nearly all of the food in their warehouse, which is now 75% filled, will get shipped out.

"The demand is way up. Our inflow of products is down slightly compared to previous years. It's just an indication of the times we're in." Brian Smith says the face of hunger is changing. "More and more people we're serving have a mortgage, are losing their houses."

Because supplies are limited at the warehouse, he says families are walking away with less. "Where they used to get a full bag, they're getting 2/3 or a half a bag of groceries. It's just stretching the resources we have into thinner, thinner quantities," said Smith.

The food bank needs donations and financial support and with help from Deen, he hopes to get the word out. "We're happy to be here with y'all to offer our love and support," said Deen.

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