Salisbury, Md. (Friday, September 6, 2013) — Perdue Farms, through a $7,500 grant funded by the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, is continuing its support of the Healthy Learners Dillon program that provides children who are in need and without resources access to basic health care services. Since 2009, the Foundation has provided $27,500 in funding to support the Healthy Learners’ program.

“The support from the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation is critical to sustaining our program services in Dillon County,” said Jo Pauling-Jones, executive director of Healthy Learners. “Not only does it provide financial support for program operations, it also demonstrates in a very tangible way support of the local community and its children. The funding received from the Perdue Foundation is instrumental in leveraging the support of other funding sources in Dillon County and outside of the Pee Dee region.”

Since its inception in 2005, the Healthy Learners Dillon program has provided 754 children with access to 3,484 health care services. According to Pauling-Jones, more than 65,428 miles has been traveled to meet the unmet health needs of these children.

Healthy Learners is a faith-based non-profit that connects children to care so that poor health is not an obstacle to doing well in school. The organization addresses poverty at its root, so that future generations can lift themselves, and their communities, to a better life.

According to Pauling-Jones, Healthy Learners partners with elementary, middle and high schools and community health care providers to help children secure needed medications, dental care, eye exams and eyeglasses, treatment for acute episodes of illness, evaluation and treatment of hearing disorders, coordination of care, access to counseling and transportation to medical appointments.

“At Perdue, we recognize the strong history Healthy Learners has in helping serve the needs of children in Dillon County and the Pee Dee Region,” said Randy Brown, director of Perdue operations in Dillon. “We’re proud of our partnership and share in their commitment to making a difference in the community through our continued support from the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation.”

About Healthy Learners
Healthy Learners was founded in 1992 based on the belief that children learn better when they are healthy.  A ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System, Healthy Learners has five programs that serve 144 schools across nine South Carolina school districts.  The counties served are Allendale, Dillon, Georgetown, Greenwood, Lexington and Richland.  For more information about Healthy Learners, visit healthylearners.com.

About Perdue Farms
Perdue Farms is the parent company of Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness, and represents the Perdue family ownership.  Since our beginning on Arthur Perdue’s farm in 1920, through expansion into agribusiness and the introduction of the Perdue brand of chicken and turkey under Frank Perdue, to our third-generation of family leadership with chairman Jim Perdue, we’ve remained a family-owned, family-operated business dedicated to making Perdue the most trusted name in food and agricultural products.  To learn more about Perdue Farms, visit www.perduefarms.com®.

About the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation
The 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.