Perdue Farms has teamed up with Feeding America to tackle the heightened food insecurity challenge that further impacts families with an extra day this Leap Year. To do this, the company will deliver over 70 tractor-trailer loads of its No Antibiotics Ever chicken across the U.S., providing 3.3 million pounds of chicken, or roughly 2.75 million servings.
Nearly 44 million people, including 13 million children, experience food insecurity in the U.S. Because Leap Year includes an extra day on February 29, it also poses an extra day for people facing hunger to secure food for themselves and their families. Studies show that in 2022, more than 10 million households included adults who reported cutting the size of their meals or skipping meals because there wasn’t enough money for food.
The donation, part of Perdue’s Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors outreach, aims to alleviate the strain on families facing hunger and fill an urgent need at food banks. Feeding America reports a 500-million-pound protein gap within its network.
“Perdue Farms remains unwavering in our mission to help nourish communities experiencing food insecurity,” said Kevin McAdams, CEO of Perdue Farms. “We understand there are great challenges these families face, especially with the addition of Leap Day. We are committed to alleviating hunger across the country and, as a 104-year-old food company, providing essential protein to those in need.”
Perdue Farms’ Leap Day donation will be available to the 198 food banks in Feeding America’s network, including those areas where Perdue associates live and work, such as Atlanta Community Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Maryland Food Bank, Food Bank of Siouxland, Mid-South Food Bank, and more.
Feeding America will also ensure Perdue’s donation is distributed to counties with the highest food insecurity rates, including Kusilvak Census Area, Wolf County, Harlan County and Magoffin County, East Carroll County, Holmes County, and Humphreys County, Todd County and Oglala Lakota County, and Presido County.
“The movement to end hunger takes dedicated partnerships that help us meet the needs and desires of our neighbors so they can thrive,” said Linda Nageotte, Feeding America’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “We are grateful for Perdue Farms’ generous commitment, which will have an immediate impact by providing access to nutritious protein for people facing hunger.”
Additionally, to further its effort to help feed families across the nation, Perdue is offering consumers 29 percent off all orders of $99 or more on PerdueFarms.com with the code LEAP29 through 11:59 PM ET on February 29.