Blue Ridge Area Food Bank among recipients of 400K pounds of protein from Perdue Farms

Perdue Farms is donating 400,000 pounds of “no antibiotics ever” chicken to 10 food banks along the East Coast from Delaware to Georgia as part of its Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors® outreach.

The donations, which are the equivalent of 333,000 meals, are part of Perdue Farms’ commitment to alleviate food insecurity in its communities and coincides with Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness about hunger in America and inspire action.

“As someone who faced the pressures of hunger firsthand as a child, I can say that food insecurity impacts more people than we realize, unfortunately including 1 in 5 children. As a food and agriculture company, we’re committed to fighting hunger in the communities we call home and beyond,” Todd Tillemans, Chief Commercial Officer at Perdue Farms, said. “During Hunger Action Month, we want these donations to increase awareness, help feed our neighbors, and spur action from organizations.”

Throughout Hunger Action Month, Perdue Farms will donate 40,000 pounds of protein, enough to fill a semi-trailer truck, to the following food banks:
• Blue Ridge Area Food Bank – Verona, Virginia
• FeedMore – Richmond, Virginia
• Food Bank of the Albemarle – North Carolina
• Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, Sand Hills Branch – North Carolina
• Food Bank of Delaware
• Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore
• Harvest Hope Food Bank – South Carolina
• Maryland Food Bank
• Middle Georgia Community Food Bank
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina – North Carolina and South Carolina

“This generous donation from our long-standing partner, Perdue Farms, will positively impact the lives of our Delaware neighbors struggling with food insecurity every day, but especially this Hunger Action Month,” Cathy Kanefsky, president and CEO of Food Bank of Delaware, said. “At the food bank, we are committed and proud to provide nutritious food that can improve the health and well-being of our community members facing food insecurity, and donations such as this provides access to quality protein that is otherwise more difficult to come by.”

The donation marks another significant contribution in Perdue’s ongoing commitment to alleviate food insecurity in America, which affects one in seven individuals, including one in five children.

Since 2000, Perdue Farms has donated more than nearly 100 million pounds of protein to the Feeding America network of food banks. Perdue was one of the first meat companies to implement a formal program of ongoing donations of perishable protein products, creating a model for other companies to follow.

The Hunger Action Month commitment doesn’t stop with the protein donation. Perdue will also invest $140,000 in hunger relief programs with a focus on childhood hunger through initiatives such as school pantries, backpack programs and school mobile pantries.