Perdue Farms Delivers Hope to Youth at SAY Detroit Play Center's Innovative After-School Program

Provides backpacks for 125 students, $10,000 gift and nutritious protein

SALISBURY, Md., Sept. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a commitment to improve the quality of life in its communities, Perdue Farms delivered a little hope to youth ages 8-18 served at the non-profit SAY Detroit Play Center at Lipke Park, an innovative after-school program in northeast Detroit. The outreach is part of the company's Delivering Hope to Our Neighbors^® initiative focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities where our associates live and work, and beyond.

Associates from the company's Alexander & Hornung specialty meats brand operation in nearby St. Clair Shores provided 125 students with backpacks filled with school supplies. Additionally, the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, provided a $10,000 gift to support the after-school programming as well as the company delivered 4,000 pounds of nutritious chicken for its meal program.

"We know Perdue Farms strives to strengthen communities by focusing efforts on several areas that align with our goals at SAY Play like improving education and fighting hunger and poverty," said Mitch Albom, SAY Detroit founder and best-selling author and journalist. "We're grateful to have such a caring new corporate neighbor extend a helping hand with their wonderful generosity.

"The Perdue grant will help us reach our goals by supporting our efforts to increase the number of low-income students we serve by growing our population; by helping to create new academic, computer and arts programming; and by helping us to provide real-world skills and job training initiatives to the community."

Gary Malenke, senior vice president of the Perdue Premium Meats Company pork operations, praised the work of SAY Detroit.

"After-school programming can be a real game changer for our youth," Malenke said. "We learned of SAY Detroit's wonderful track record of impacting young lives and are honored to provide funds and resources to support their Play Center at Lipke Park so they can continue to deliver the kinds of programs for our youth that really make a difference."

As SAY Detroit Executive Director Richard Kelley, explains, "Compared to other communities, our students face obstacles that are mountains to climb. Their childhood experiences include poverty and food insecurity, exposure to violence, high levels of parental stress, and socioeconomic adversity. SAY Detroit Play Center's supportive programming seeks to help members become active, productive citizens for the betterment of themselves, their families, and their community. We're proud to have Perdue as a partner in that journey."

SAY Detroit was founded in 2006 by best-selling author and journalist Mitch Albom to improve the lives of Detroit's neediest residents through shelter, food, medical care, volunteer efforts and education. It serves as the umbrella organization for major projects, such as SAY Play, Working Homes/Working Families, Better Together, and the SAY Detroit Family Health Clinic, serving a population from infants to senior citizens and veterans. To learn more, visit saydetroit.org 

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 premium protein portfolio within our Perdue Foods business, including our flagship PERDUE® brand, Niman Ranch®, Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Meats®, Coleman Natural®, and Yummy®, as well as our pet brands, Spot Farms® and Full Moon®, is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores and our direct-to-consumer website, PerdueFarms.com. 

Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company.

Now in our company's second century, 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, pork, beef, and lamb, and in USDA-certified organic chicken and beef. Learn more at Corporate.PerdueFarms.com.

SOURCE Perdue Farms