Perdue Farms Supports Food Bank of Delaware

In advance of the official groundbreaking of the Food Bank of Delaware’s new 67,000-square-foot Milford facility on Sept. 29, Perdue Farms jump started the Building Hope in Milford capital campaign by presenting a $250,000 donation.

The gift from the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the company’s charitable giving arm, is part of Perdue’s Delivering Hope to Our Neighbors® outreach focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities.

With more than 50,000 residents of Kent and Sussex counties struggling to afford food, food insecurity in the First State has been exasperated by the pandemic and inflation.

“What a wonderful way to head into our groundbreaking festivities with this incredibly generous gift,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Cathy Kanefsky. “Perdue has been a long-standing partner of the Food Bank of Delaware, donating more than 17.2 million pounds of protein products and $560,000 since the start of our partnership. This new facility is a huge undertaking, but it is greatly needed so we can serve the residents of Kent and Sussex counties who need us. Together, with our community partners, we will raise the needed money so we can build hope here in Milford.”

With the current Milford branch located at 1040 Mattlind Way operating at more than 163 percent capacity, the Food Bank of Delaware determined in 2020 that a new facility was needed. Last summer, the hunger-relief organization purchased an 11.5-acre parcel of land from the City of Milford and has spent the past year designing the new facility. An official groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 29.

“At Perdue Farms, we believe we have a responsibility to help individuals and families in need in the communities we call home, including here in the First State."

"We employ more than 2,800 people in Delaware, many of them right here in Milford,” said Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation. “We have long recognized the valuable role the Food Bank of Delaware plays in our communities and share a common mission to deliver hope to our neighbours who struggle to put a meal on the table. We see this as not only an investment in the food bank, but an investment in the well-being of our neighbours. We’re proud to lend our support and hope it inspires others to do the same.”