Perdue presents check to Food Bank of Delaware

Representatives from the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, presented a check for $5,250 March 19 to help support the Food Bank of Delaware’s Backpack Program.

The donation will enable the Food Bank of Delaware to provide weekend and holiday food to 33 children attending school in Sussex County. In addition to the check presentation, associates from Perdue’s Milford and Georgetown processing plants spent the afternoon packing bags full of food for the Backpack Program.

"Perdue and the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation are committed to helping those most in need in the communities where we live and work,” said Kim Nechay, executive director of the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. “Through this grant, we're happy to know the Food Bank of Delaware will be able to extend the reach of its Backpack Program to children in Sussex County."

The donation comes at a critical time as funding for the children’s Backpack Program is down, while demand is up. The program provides food to children in need for weekends and holidays when school is not in session and federal school meal programs are not available. Bags are stocked with kid-friendly, nutritious foods including shelf-stable milk and juice, meals such as macaroni and cheese and beef stew and more. School officials discreetly identify at-risk children and deposit the bag into their backpack prior to the start of a weekend or holiday break.

“We are thankful for Perdue’s continued partnership,” said Food Bank of Delaware Milford Branch Director Chad Robinson. “We know that the Backpack Program is a lifeline for many Delaware children. Unfortunately, the meals received at school are many children’s only source of nutritious meals. The Backpack Program ensures that children have much-needed nutritious foods for when school is not in session.”