The Perdue Foundation awarded a $60,000 grant to the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation to bring new STEM programs to two Accomack County Elementary schools in rural Virginia. Pictured from left to right in the front row are Belinda Rippon, early childhood education coordinator, Dr. Rhonda Hall, assistant superintendent of instruction, Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation, Phyllis Smith, Kegotank Elementary School principal, and Stephanie Green, senior assistant director of Ripken Foundation programs. In back row are Chelsea Sharp, Kegotank assistant principal, Travis Punt, senior director of development for the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, John Custis, STEM Center initiative co-chair, and Chad McGregor, Kegotank assistant principal.
Perdue Farms Brings STEM Centers to Rural Virginia Schools
$60,000 Perdue Foundation Grant Part of Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors® Platform
January 5, 2022
SALISBURY, MD. (Wednesday, January 5, 2021) — As part of a commitment to education, Perdue Farms has awarded the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation (CRSF) a $60,000 grant from the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation to help bring STEM Centers to two Accomack County elementary schools in rural Eastern Shore of Virginia.
The Perdue gift from the company’s charitable giving arm is part of its Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors® initiative focused on improving quality of life and building stronger communities where Perdue associates live and work.
The Ripken Foundation announced in December it will bring STEM Centers to seven schools in both Accomack and Northampton counties thanks to $210,000 raised from various funders, including the Perdue Foundation. The Perdue grant will support Accawmacke Elementary and Kegotank Elementary schools in Accomack County.
“Accomack County Public Schools is looking forward to this wonderful partnership,” said Dr. Rhonda Hall, assistant superintendent for instruction for Accomack County Public Schools. “We appreciate the support of our community for providing this exciting educational opportunity to our students and thank the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation for thinking of us.”
The CRSF has opened 140 fully operational and turnkey STEM Centers in elementary and middle schools in 16 states. These new STEM Centers will be the first that the Ripken Foundation brings to Virginia.
“We are thrilled to be bringing these STEM Centers to seven schools in Virginia,” said Cal Ripken Jr., co-founder of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. “We’ve learned that getting STEM in front of kids in elementary and middle schools is critical. Thanks to great partners like Perdue Farms and community leaders, we are opening these STEM Centers at a rapid pace nationwide, and they are making a difference to students, teachers, and the schools.”
“STEM opportunities are lacking in many rural communities such as Accomack County. What the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation is bringing to the schools here is very exciting and much needed,” said Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation. “We at Perdue are honored to partner with them to make it happen. The educational tools these kids will now have access to are not only fun but state of the art. That’s very exciting for our community!”
About the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation
The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation helps to strengthen America’s most underserved and distressed communities by supporting and advocating for children, building Youth Development Parks and STEM Centers, partnering with law enforcement and youth-service agencies, and addressing community needs through its national program initiatives.
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®.
About Perdue Farms
We're a fourth-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.
The premium protein portfolio within our Perdue Foods business, including our flagship PERDUE® brand, Niman Ranch®, Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Meats®, Coleman Natural®, and Yummy®, as well as our pet brands, Spot Farms® and Full Moon®, is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores, and our direct-to-consumer website, PerdueFarms.com.
Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company.
Now in our company’s second century, 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, pork, beef and lamb, and in USDA-certified organic chicken and beef. Learn more at Corporate.PerdueFarms.com.
