Making Every Meal Count: Perdue Farms’ Commitment to Hunger Relief

While we observe Hunger Action Month in September, the stark reality of food insecurity – which is not limited to one day or month – hits close to home for many. Hunger isn’t just a statistic; it’s a daily struggle for countless individuals who work tirelessly to provide for their families but still find themselves unable to put enough food on the table. I experienced these pressures myself as a child. My parents divorced when I was 7 years old, and for a period of time we faced the daunting challenge of keeping the pantry full on my mother’s $1.25 per hour salary. Despite her best efforts and the help of food stamps, our cupboard often ran empty by the end of the month.

My story isn’t unique – many families face similar hardships and wonder where their next meal will come from, and they need our collective help. This is why I believe so strongly in the work we do at Perdue Farms and our partnership with Feeding America.

At Perdue Farms, we are committed to alleviating hunger and food insecurity in the communities that we live and work in and ensuring that families in need have access to nutritious food. This September, in honor of Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month, we’re donating 400,000 pounds of “no-antibiotics-ever" chicken to ten food banks across the country, the equivalent of 333,000 meals. Each food bank will receive a full truckload of high-quality Perdue chicken, a vital source of protein that many families might otherwise struggle to afford.

This month is about making a lasting impact on the lives of those who need it most, especially children who are growing up in circumstances similar to what I experienced. That’s why we’re also investing $140,000 in hunger relief programs that have a special focus on childhood hunger – because no child should have to worry about where their next meal will come from.

These funds are going directly to initiatives that make a tangible difference, like supporting school pantries through the Maryland Food Bank, enabling backpack programs that help kids take food home on the weekend to thrive in Delaware and Virginia, stocking school mobile pantries in North Carolina and contributing to programs that pair fresh produce with our protein at food pantry locations near our Salisbury headquarters.

In addition to donations and investments, we’re also getting our colleagues involved. Perdue’s companywide food drive, running from September 3-27, is a way for all of us to come together and make a difference. We’re encouraging our associates to donate non-perishable food items and Perdue will match those donations with an equivalent amount of protein for local food banks.

Hunger Action Month is personal to many of us at Perdue –we believe that no one should go hungry. While we’re doing everything that we can to make sure that doesn’t happen, widespread hunger isn’t a fight we can win by ourselves. It takes us all – individuals, communities, companies, organizations – together to make a difference.

This month, I encourage you to think about what you can do to help. Whether it’s donating food, volunteering at a local food bank, or simply spreading the word, every action counts. Together, we can make a difference, one meal at a time.

https://corporate.perduefarms.com/news/press-releases/perdue-farms-supports-hunger-action-month/