Perdue Farms has delivered 40,000 pounds of protein to help the West Annapolis Pop Up Pantry in its mission to provide underserved families with nutritious meals amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The donation is part of Perdue’s “Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors” hunger-relief initiative that is helping provide meals for struggling individuals and families.

“The support of Perdue, and their eagerness to contribute to our effort, means that we will be able to provide more than 500 families each week healthy and filling meals,” said Diana Love, co-founder of the West Annapolis Pop Up Pantry. “Hungry bellies can’t fight illness, foster children’s growth, or contribute to productive lives. This donation helps our families do all of these things.”

The grass-roots West Annapolis Pop Up Pantry was started in March by friends Diana Love and Amy Marshall after learning that the father of their children’s classmate died from the coronavirus on Easter Sunday. They discovered that the household’s other members were in self-isolation and couldn’t work to support the household. Partnering with the Center of Help in Annapolis and others, they were able to help support the family with groceries, meals and other essential items. The West Annapolis Pop Up Pantry has grown from that single effort.

Today, with the support of a legion of volunteers, churches and community groups, the Pop Up Pantry is helping hundreds of families in Annapolis.

“When we heard of the death of a man close to us from COVID, we knew the impact of the shutdown and the pandemic would be immense for people in Annapolis who would not benefit from stimulus payments, unemployment checks or food stamps,” said Love. “We felt that we should help this community, just as we would turn to our neighbors for help were the roles reversed. We believe deeply that children need nutritious foods and families need time at the table together, especially during these incredibly difficult times. As mothers ourselves, we struggled with the idea of a single child going hungry, or other mamas struggling to feed their babies. We knew we could help and with our army of other moms, we’ve been able to. Certainly, this effort is helped immensely by the support of Perdue.”

“Every day, our neighbors within our communities, including in our home state and throughout the U.S., are relying more on their local food banks and pantries to put a meal on the table for their families amid the pandemic,” said Randy Day, CEO of Perdue Farms. “As a food company, we have the resources and a responsibility to help those struggling with food insecurity, especially during an unprecedented time like this. The work of those at the West Annapolis Pop Up Pantry is truly inspiring, and we’re proud to lend our support.”

Since March, Perdue has donated more than 1.9 million pounds of protein to support local food banks and relief efforts as well as first responders and frontline healthcare workers amid the pandemic through its “Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors” initiative.

To learn more about the West Annapolis Pop Up Pantry, contact Diana Love at 410-703-3062 or westannapolispantry@gmail.com.

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., and the company is the leader in organic chicken in the U.S., and Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. Now in our centennial year, 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.

Click here for more COVID-19 coverage and how it is affecting the refrigerated and frozen foods industry.