SALISBURY, Md. — Perdue Farms and the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina have rolled out a new 26-foot refrigerated box truck to support the organization’s distribution of food within the four counties the food bank serves through its Sandhills Branch in Southern Pines. The box truck was funded through a $100,000 grant by the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, in conjunction with the company’s 100th anniversary.
“We’re so incredibly thankful for the support of our partners at Perdue, especially during this time of staggering need amid the pandemic,” said Peter Werbick, president and CEO of the food bank. “This truck will go a long way to increase access to fresh, nutritious food for people in need in the Sandhills area.”
This truck will be operational immediately, helping to provide more than 8,000 meals with each load. It will be used in deliveries to the Food Bank’s partner agencies (the pantries and soup kitchens providing hunger relief on the front lines) and pickups from food donors, primarily retail stores and produce farmers.
The Perdue Foundation gift aligns with the company’s “Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors” hunger relief initiative focused on making meaningful progress toward ending hunger and providing access to nutritious protein for people struggling with hunger. In January, the Perdue Foundation announced a $1 million donation to support 10 of its Feeding America®-affiliated food bank partners in celebration of the company’s 100th anniversary.
“At Perdue Farms, we’re committed to doing all that we can to support the communities we call home, and value our ability to help address the issue of food insecurity,” said Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation. “We’re proud that we can expand our partnership with the food bank through this gift and improve their ability to help meet the needs of our neighbors, especially during this challenging time.”
Since partnering with the food bank, Perdue Farms has donated more than 268,573 pounds – or the equivalent of more than one million servings – of nutritious protein through its partnership with the food bank.
About Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that has provided food for people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina for 40 years. The Food Bank serves a network of more than 900 partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults through warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, the Sandhills (Southern Pines), and Wilmington. In fiscal year 2019-2020, the Food Bank distributed nearly 92 million pounds of food (over half of which was perishable) and non-food essentials through these agencies. Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. In these counties, nearly 760,000 people struggle to access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for an active and healthy life. To learn more, visit foodbankcenc.org.
About the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation
The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. As part of our belief in supporting the communities where and with whom we do business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work. At Perdue Farms, we believe in responsible food and agriculture®.
About Perdue Farms
We’re a fourth-generation, family owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers and farmers through trusted choices in products and services.
The PERDUE® brand is the number-one brand of fresh chicken in the U.S., and the company is leader in organic chicken in the U.S., and Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. Now in our centennial year, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey and pork, and in USDA-certified organic chicken. Learn more at corporate.perduefarms.com.
