Salisbury, Md. (Monday, December 17, 2018) — Perdue associates joined volunteers from the Harry K. Foundation to distribute 500 holiday meal boxes to 500 at-risk Delaware families and children in partnership with the Food Bank of Delaware.

The families were identified through Delaware schools supported by the Harry K Foundation, whose mission is to alleviate the problem of food insecurity in the state.

“People don’t realize how many kids go to sleep hungry on a daily basis,” said Harry Keswani found of the Harry K. Foundation. “It feels good to know that moms and dads won’t have the pressure of worrying about a Christmas meal. They’re going to have a great Christmas. It’s my favorite time of the year, and now 500 more families will have a favorite time of the year.”

Associate volunteers from Perdue’s Milford operation helped load the boxes into vehicles at the Food Bank of Delaware. The meal boxes were filled with traditional holiday staples, including stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, canned vegetables, pumpkin, pie crust, a roasting pan and more. A Perdue roaster chicken and a gallon of milk completed the meal.

“We are thrilled to join the Food Bank of Delaware and the Harry K Foundation again in an event like this that provides holiday meals for families in the First State,” said Dean Walston, director of Perdue operations in Milford. “It takes all of us working together as a community to help meet the needs of those struggling to put food on the table.”

The Food Bank of Delaware estimates that 114,000 Delawareans are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where they will get their next meal.

“The Food Bank of Delaware is eternally grateful to the Harry K Foundation and Perdue,” said Chad Robinson, community relations manager for the Food Bank of Delaware. “It’s just really an incredible partnership, and today is an extension of that partnership in ensuring these holiday meals get out to those families so that, hopefully, we can make their holidays just a little bit brighter.”

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 PERDUE^® brand is the number-one brand of fresh chicken in the U.S., we’re the largest producer of organic chicken in the U.S., and Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. As we approach our 100^th 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. Learn more at www.perduefarms.com. 

About the Food Bank of Delaware
The Food Bank of Delaware distributes millions of pounds of products each year to 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 Grab and Go Program and the Backpack Program. The Food Bank of Delaware provides community outreach through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC). Financial literacy coaching through $tand By Me and nutrition education are also offered to empower Delawareans. Delaware Food Works, a workforce development initiative of the Food Bank of Delaware, provides training for adults interested in careers in the food service industry, warehousing/logistics and agriculture. For more information about the Food Bank of Delaware, visit www.fbd.org or call (302) 292-1305.

About the Harry K Foundation
The Harry K. Foundation has been committed to the belief that “no child in Delaware should go to bed hungry." Founded in 2013, this nonprofit organization has been opening food pantries to address their “H4 Initiative” to Help Harry Halt Hunger. Currently the Foundation sponsors 34 pantries, 510 children for the Backpack Program and a community baby pantry. From Wilmington to Delmar and from Seaford to Rehoboth the Harry K. Foundation is bringing food security to the needy.