Perdue Farms announced its commitment to donate a minimum of one million pounds of protein — or four million servings — to support communities where it conducts business in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The donations are part of Perdue’s “Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors” hunger relief initiative.

Perdue has already directed more than 300,000 pounds of nutritious protein to Feeding America-affiliated food banks serving its communities since March 1, including in Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia. Product donations will also be directed to help frontline healthcare workers and first responders.

“Since this public health crisis began, Perdue has maintained their generous donations of quality chicken to help the more than 193,000 neighbors across Central Virginia who struggle with hunger,” said Feed More president and CEO Doug Pick. “Protein is the building block of our bodies’ cells and Perdue’s commitment to providing families with access to wholesome food can be felt across our service area, and in the homes of the neighbors we help. We are thankful for Perdue’s continued dedication to our mission now, more than ever, and are proud to help make good on Perdue’s promise to Deliver Hope To Our Neighbors.”

The increasing need created by COVID-19 has illustrated just how important the nation’s food banks and their network of hunger-relief partners are during these difficult times, according to Chad Robinson, Food Bank of Delaware community relations director.

“During non-crisis times, we are providing food to more than 117,000 food-insecure Delawareans. With thousands of more individuals out of work, we are seeing increased demands for services. Families who once donated their money and time to the Food Bank are now in need of assistance themselves. We are thankful for Perdue’s support to ensure that we can get nutritious foods into the hands of those who need it most,” said Robinson.

On Tuesday, Perdue delivered chicken products to Bayhealth hospitals in Milford and Dover, Del., to help feed more than 4,000 frontline healthcare workers. “Bayhealth Medical Center is enormously grateful to our friends at Perdue for their support during the COVID-19 crisis. Our caregivers were able to enjoy some delicious Perdue chicken in the midst of their lifesaving work,” said Dr. L. Allen Rhodenbaugh, president of the Bayhealth Foundation.

Perdue is also providing its frontline plant production associates, who are essential to keeping America fed, with chicken products to take home to ease the burden.

“With the increased uncertainty of the prolonged impact of the coronavirus, the food banks and the communities they serve are facing the challenge of not having enough food to meet the growing need,” said Perdue Farms CEO Randy Day. “We believe that no one should have to go hungry, especially at this critical time. We’ll continue to look for ways to support our neighbors, including those on the frontlines in this crisis.”

Perdue Farms, through the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, also has donated $40,000 to support emergency pandemic relief efforts by the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore. The funds have been made available in light of the COVID-19 virus and its impacts in and around Perdue’s hometown community on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore (CFES) and the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore (UWLES) are supporting immediate and long-term relief efforts within their local communities. These resources will help ensure critical programs and services—including hunger relief, transitional housing, housing assistance, medical services and more—can be fulfilled during a time of increased need. 

“COVID-19 and its rippling effects are absolutely devastating to witness. But there are bright spots in this gloom when you look to organizations like CFES and UWLES,” said Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation. “We at Perdue are proud to invest in their efforts to collaborate and assure that our friends and neighbors in need during this global crisis will have resources.”

CFES and UWLES are already seeing increased demand for their services and financial resources to support local efforts. “The pandemic is going to have long-term and extremely challenging implications for many local nonprofits. By getting immediate relief to these organizations, we hope to offset a portion of their hardship, and enable them to continue to meet vital needs in our community,” says Erica Joseph, CFES president. “If there ever was a time to ‘give where you live’ the time and the need are now.”

The Perdue Foundation gift will provide much needed resources to help the resilient Lower Eastern Shore community meet community needs during a challenging time. “We know that the Perdue Foundation and the Perdue Farms family is working very hard to meet the needs of the communities where associates live, work and play, not just financially but also through gifts of proteins,” said Stacey McMichael, United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore’s resource development manager. “As a Perdue partner for over 60 years, we are blessed to be able to steward those dollars throughout our counties here on the Lower Shore.”

Source: Perdue Farms