Salisbury, Md. (Monday, July 8, 2013) — Perdue Farms, through a $10,000 granted funded by the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, is helping the Town of Georgetown, Del., provide a safe place for children to play by creating the community’s first year-round playground.

“We’re so happy to have the backing of Perdue for this project,” said Georgetown Councilman Bill West and chairman of the Georgetown Playground Committee. “This money will be instrumental in helping us achieve our goals of creating a safe and accessible outdoor environment that fosters imaginative play and developmental learning for the children of Georgetown, while providing an environment that will provide the opportunity to unite children and families in our multi-cultural community.”

West said the playground would be located on property owned by the Town of Georgetown on King Street. The fenced-in playground — called the “King Street Playground” — will consist of separate play areas designed for younger and older children. Benches and picnic table will be provided for family use.

“We chose a castle theme for the playground, which was only fitting for its location on King Street,” said West.

As West explains, in July of 2012, the Georgetown Town Council was considering an ordinance that would have prohibited children from playing in the public streets. It was that proposal that led the Council to appoint a seven-member playground committee charged with identifying recreational opportunities in Georgetown, which does not have a parks and recreation department.

“We do not have a year-round playground in town for children and families in the community,” said West. “With more than 1,500 children enrolled in elementary schools from preschool through fifth grade alone, we certainly have a need for such an environment in town.”

In presenting the grant on Monday, July 8 during a ceremony at the King Street site, Dan Stein, director of Perdue operations in Georgetown, said, “At Perdue, we are committed to giving back to the community in which we live and work. We have many associates who work for Perdue in Georgetown and live with their families in the community who will directly benefit from this playground. We’re proud to support this project with funding provided by the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation.”

West said the Georgetown Playground Committee has raised more than $30,000 of the estimated $167,000 needed to fully fund the project. “We are optimistic to break ground in spring of 2015 and have it up and running for summer enjoyment the same year,” said West.

To learn more about the “King Street Playground” project or to make a contribution, contact Georgetown Town Hall at 302-856-7391 or Bill West at bwest@georgetowndel.com or 302-236-9955

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, visit www.perdue.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.