"This most generous gift from the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation enabled the Food Bank to purchase a 53-foot refrigerated tractor-trailer that will help make transformational change year-over-year as we're able to provide more nutritious protein and produce to the communities we serve," said Liz Reasoner, executive director of the Food Bank of the Albemarle. "The trailer, which has been in service since March, is an indispensable asset to our current COVID-19 relief efforts, and this gift will have an incredible impact on food bank operations for years to come."
The trailer provides additional storage and transportation capacity and enables the food bank to source and distribute an additional 700,000 pounds (2.8 million servings) of healthy and nutritious product annually. Since March, the Food Bank has utilized the trailer to store 200,000 pounds of food, distribute more than 100,000 pounds, and pick up an estimated 60,000 pounds of product this year from local produce farmers.
The Perdue Foundation gift aligns with the company's "Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors" hunger relief initiative focused on providing access to nutritious protein for people struggling with hunger and making meaningful progress toward ending 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 of the Albemarle through this gift and improve their ability to help meet the needs of our neighbors, especially during this uncertain time."
Since 2017, Perdue Farms has donated more than 182,803 pounds - or the equivalent of 731,212 servings - of nutritious protein through its partnership with the Food Bank of the Albemarle.
About Food Bank of the Albemarle
The Mission of the Food Bank of the Albemarle is to fight hunger and poverty in our 15-county service area in northeast North Carolina. We are a regional clearinghouse for the collection and distribution of food and grocery items to 100 hunger-relief partners operating 145 unique programs. Food Bank of the Albemarle serves more than 235,573 individuals annually in Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties. For additional information about Food Bank of the Albemarle and the network of hunger-relief partners in northeastern North Carolina, visit www.afoodbank.org or call (252) 335-4035.
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.
SOURCE Perdue Farms
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