Collaborative community partnership delivers hope to neighbors struggling with food insecurity.
As part of Perdue Farms’ “Delivering Hope to Our Neighbors®” initiative focused on improving the quality of life in our communities through hunger relief, the company teamed with the Delmarva Shorebirds Class A minor league baseball team and three Delmarva Peninsula food banks to generate 380,000 meals during the season-long 2023 Perdue Strike Out Hunger Challenge on Delmarva.
“Economic challenges have brought so much uncertainty and challenge to individuals and families struggling with food insecurity on the Delmarva Peninsula,” said Kim Nechay, executive director of the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. “We’re proud that this year’s campaign once again provided a collaborative platform to raise public awareness about the problem of hunger and food insecurity and deliver much-needed relief to our neighbors in the communities where we live and work.”
On average one in seven people on the Delmarva Peninsula are challenged by food insecurity. One third of that food-insecure population is children.
Since 2011, Perdue, the Shorebirds, food banks and the community at-large have embraced the Strike Out Hunger Challenge to generate more than 1.7 million meals for those in need on Delmarva.
“The Shorebirds are proud to partner with Perdue on the Strike Out Hunger Challenge year after year. This challenge has helped provide families on Delmarva with food and goods, and we plan to continue this charge in the years moving forward,” said Jimmy Sweet, assistant general manager of the Delmarva Shorebirds.
To drive this year’s Perdue Strike Out Hunger Challenge on Delmarva, Perdue Farms issued a $15,000 challenge grant funded by the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Foundation — the charitable giving arm of the company — to benefit the Maryland Food Bank, the Food Bank of Delaware and the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore.
Each of the food banks were required to engage the Delmarva community to raise the equivalent of 10,000 meals to claim their equal share of the first $10,000 of the Foundation challenge grant. This included any combination of pounds of food collected, monies collected and donated, or volunteer hours throughout the duration of the Shorebirds’ season. Perdue also donated $10 for each time the Shorebirds’ pitchers struck out an opposing batter, up to $5,000.
“For 12 years, the Perdue Strike Out Hunger Challenge on Delmarva has helped raise both critical funds and awareness of food insecurity in our community,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Cathy Kanefsky. “High costs due to inflation have impacted so many working families on Delmarva. This donation will enable us to help more families access nutritious meals. We are grateful for Perdue and the Delmarva Shorebirds for this ongoing partnership.”
“We’re grateful to Perdue Farms and the Delmarva Shorebirds for once again stepping up to the plate for our neighbors in need,” said Jennifer Small, vice president of partner logistics and programs for the Maryland Food Bank. “At a time when high food prices are putting a strain on everyone’s budget, we really appreciate their efforts to help stock our shelves so that no one on the Eastern Shore, or anywhere in Maryland, goes to bed hungry.”
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®.
