Kim Nechay, left, executive director of the Perdue Foundation, presents Patricia Beebe, Food Bank of Delaware president and CEO, with a check for $57,500 to help purchase a new 26-foot box truck. Perdue has challenged the community to help raise the remaing $42,500 to purchase the $100,000 truck.
Perdue Foundation delivers $57,500 matching grant challenge to help Food Bank of Delaware acquire new truck
January 26, 2018
Salisbury, Md. (January 26, 2018) – The Food Bank of Delaware and The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation — the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms — announced a new partnership to “Drive Out Hunger” in the community this morning at the Food Bank’s Milford branch.
The foundation presented a “Drive Out Hunger” challenge grant in the amount of $57,500 (more than half of the cost) to purchase a new, refrigerated, 26-foot box truck to safely transport and re-distribute perishable donations to food insecure communities throughout Delaware.
The Food Bank of Delaware, The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation and Perdue Farms have now challenged the community to raise the additional $42,500 needed to purchase the $100,000 truck
“At Perdue, we believe that in a country as rich as ours no one should go hungry,” said Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation. “That’s why we’re proud to be a long-time partner in the fight against hunger with the Food Bank of Delaware. We’re proud to support their Drive Out Hunger initiative through a grant from the Foundation and help improve food security for our neighbors in the First State.”
Perdue and the Food Bank of Delaware have been partners in the fight against hunger for nearly three decades and, together, have helped provide more than 13.6 million meals to seniors, families and children struggling with hunger.
The Food Bank of Delaware currently has 108 total wheels (primarily cargo vans and 26-foot box trucks) traveling the roads of Delaware everyday delivering vital nutritional resources and educational services directly to underserved communities.
“Our fleet travels more than 450,000 miles each year allowing for the safe transport and delivery of both perishable and nonperishable food to Food Bank of Delaware partners,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Patricia Beebe. “We own all of our vehicles requiring significant maintenance and repair budget lines which grow each year as our fleet ages. The maintenance and repair cost for all 25 vehicles exceeded $35,000 last fiscal year. Taking high-mileage vehicles off the road has become a priority as maintenance and repair costs continue to increase each year as the miles and wear and tear continue to mount. We are thankful for Perdue’s support as we work with our community to get this new vehicle on the road.”
Companies that donate more than $5,000 towards the challenge will have their logo prominently displayed on the new truck.
To learn more about supporting the Drive Out Hunger challenge, contact Larry Haas, Food Bank of Delaware Development Director, at (302) 294-0185 or lhaas@fbd.org. To make an online donation towards the challenge, please visit https://www.fbd.org/drive-out-hunger-challenge/.
About the Food Bank of Delaware
The Food Bank of Delaware distributes millions of pounds of food and grocery products each year through its network of 536 hunger-relief program partners throughout the state and also provides thousands of meals a month for children through the After-School Nutrition Program, the Summer Food Service Program and the Backpack Program. The Food Bank’s hunger-relief programs directly provide for Delawareans at risk of going without meals each year. The Culinary School at the Food Bank of Delaware, the Food Bank’s workforce development arm, provides training for adults interested in careers in the food service industry. For more information about the Food Bank of Delaware, visit www.fbd.org or call (302) 292-1305.
About Perdue Farms
We’re a third-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. We focus on continuously improving everything we do, constantly learning, and sharing those insights across different production methods. That innovative approach is driving change throughout the company and onto farms. This continuous advancement is leading us toward our vision of becoming the most trusted name in food and agricultural products. The PERDUE® brand is the number-one brand of fresh chicken in the U.S., and Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. As we approach our 100th anniversary in 2020, 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 and pork, and in USDA-certified organic chicken. We’ve increased our support for the family farm by creating new markets, including specialty crops. Through agricultural services, we give farmers more options for the acre, including conversion to organic production and products and services that increase the sustainability of conventional agriculture. Learn more at www.perduefarms.com.
About The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation
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®.
