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Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation, presents a $10,000 grant to the Rev. Roosevelt Toussaint.

Perdue Foundation $10K Grant Supports Haitian Development Center After-School Program in Salisbury, Maryland

July 25, 2023

Salisbury, Md. (Tuesday, July 25, 2023) — As part of a commitment to improve the quality of life in its communities, Perdue Farms is awarding The Haitian Development Center of Delmarva Inc. in Salisbury a $10,000 grant funded through the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. The donation from Perdue’s charitable giving arm is part of the company’s Delivering Hope to Our Neighbors® initiative focused on building strong communities.

The Salisbury center provides services such as helping Haitian parents enroll their children in school, interpretation, and document translation, according to the Rev. Roosevelt Toussaint, the center’s executive director.

The Perdue Foundation grant helps pay for the center’s after-school program called Brights and Futures, he said, explaining that the center’s program coordinator and college students tutor, provide homework help and polish learning skills for Haitian students in grades three to eight. The center also provides transportation and dinner for the students.

Toussaint said the Brights and Future program held 74 after-school sessions, providing transportation 148 times and 2,088 meals to students and staff in the 2021-22 school year.

“Our records indicate that of the 20 students we helped in the school year 2021-2022, 13 of them achieved a grade-point average of three or better, and we recorded only four excused and unexcused absences that year,” Toussaint said.

The after-school program eases students’ transition to a new environment, he added.

“It is quite evident that the majority of our Haitian students have had to struggle with a new education system,” Toussaint said. “Our overall goal is to help our Haitian students succeed in their education experience.”

Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation, applauded the work of Brights and Futures.

“The center is such a valuable resource for Haitian parents and their children. The after-school program makes it easier for students to acclimate to U.S. schools and improve their grades,” she said. “We’re happy to support the good work of those at the Haitian Development Center.”

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.