Salisbury, Md. (Wednesday, August 3, 2016) — Perdue Farms, through a three-year, $30,000 grant funded by the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, has announced a new partnership with the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance (NWT) to enhance the health and cleanliness of the watershed environment. The Perdue Foundation is the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms.

The Foundation funding will help the Alliance expand the reach of its Nanticoke Creekwatchers Citizen Water Monitoring Program to assess the health of the Nanticoke River, and the distribution of water quality data through the annual Nanticoke River Report Card. The partnership will also provide opportunities to engage Perdue associates in broader water quality and volunteer service initiatives.

“We at Perdue want to do our part to assure the health and cleanliness of our environment. Our support of the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance will aid them in monitoring and protecting the Nanticoke River, raising awareness of its needs and educating our neighbors on how they can do their part to keep it beautiful,” said Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation. “It is an honor to be a part of these important efforts.”

The Nanticoke River begins in southern Delaware on the Delmarva Peninsula and connects with the Chesapeake Bay through the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. Its 725,000- acre watershed provides excellent habitat of national significance for many threatened plants and animals.

“The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance appreciates the support of the Perdue Foundation and looks forward to a successful partnership,” said Shelly Baird, executive director of the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance. “Perdue Farms is an important component of the Nanticoke watershed and we anticipate expanding relationships and working together to meet joint water quality improvement initiatives.”

“The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance has been very effective in bringing together a broad range of stakeholders to work toward a common goal of protecting the riverside, an ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay,” said Martin Stewart, environmental manager for Perdue AgriBusiness and Alliance board member.

The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance is dedicated to conserving the natural, cultural and recreational resources of the Nanticoke River watershed through collaborative outreach, education and dialogue. The Alliance includes partners from Maryland and Delaware, including representatives from industry, agriculture, environmental, business, community, and state, local and federal governmental organizations. To learn more about the Alliance, visit www.nanticokeriver.org.

Perdue Farms is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for everyone we touch through innovative food and agricultural products. Since our beginning on Arthur Perdue’s farm in 1920, to our expansion into agribusiness and the introduction of the PERDUE® brand of chicken and turkey under Frank Perdue, and continuing with our third generation of leadership with Chairman Jim Perdue, we’ve remained family owned and family operated. We are the parent company of Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness. Through our PERDUE®, PERDUE® SIMPLY SMART®, PERDUE® HARVESTLAND®, COLEMAN PREMIUM® and COLEMAN ORGANIC® food brands; agricultural products and services; and stewardship and corporate responsibility programs, we are working to become the most-trusted name in food and agricultural products. Learn more about Perdue Farms at www.perduefarms.com.

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.