As part of a commitment to alleviate food insecurity, Perdue Farms has delivered a $30,000 grant and nearly 10,000 pounds of chicken products to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, based in Nashville.
The funds provided by the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation will support the food bank’s BackPack Program for school children and mobile pantry programs in rural Putnam County, home to Perdue’s further processing facility in Monterey. The protein will help feed children, seniors and families throughout the region.
SHFB’s BackPack program feeds more than 200 food-insecure children in Putnam County during the school year, providing them with healthy, easy-to-prepare food on weekends and school vacations. Bags of healthy foods are placed in students’ backpacks each week.
In addition, Perdue Farms will fund four SHFB mobile pantries, providing much-needed groceries to 1,000 households experiencing hunger in Putnam County. Each mobile pantry distributes a truckload of produce, dairy, poultry/protein and shelf-stable food, an average of 20,000 pounds to 250 households.
“According to Feeding America, one in seven people in Putnam County – including one in six children – are at risk of hunger,” said Nancy Keil, SHFB president and CEO. “Thanks to Perdue Farms’ generosity and continued support, Second Harvest is able to provide critical food resources to our neighbors in need.”
The gifts from Perdue Farms are part of the company’s Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors initiative focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities where Perdue employees live and work.
“At Perdue, we are committed to doing our part to ease the burden of hunger in our communities, especially here in Middle Tennessee amid these tough economic times,” said Gary DeVault, Perdue’s Monterey director of operations. “We’re proud to support Second Harvest Food Bank with our funds, food and volunteerism to help provide our neighbors the nourishment they need.”
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