Perdue Farms awards $5k grant to Ag in the Classroom Virginia

Pictured: Kyle Sturgis reads for Ag in the Classroom Week.

Salisbury, Md. (Monday, January 23, 2023) — As part of a commitment to help the next generation understand the importance of agriculture, Perdue Farms has awarded a $5,000 grant to Agriculture in the Classroom in Virginia through the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. The donation from Perdue’s charitable giving arm is part of the company’s Delivering Hope to Our Neighbors^® outreach to improve quality of life and build strong communities.

“Agriculture in the Classroom’s latest project, Ag 24/7, seeks to educate students and the nonfarming public about the many ways their lives are touched each day by agricultural products and by-products,” said Tammy Maxey, executive director for the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. “Through this project, children will not only understand that most of life’s necessities can be traced back to the farm but will also gain knowledge on the modern farming practices that make it possible to feed the world.”

Maxey said the grant would be used to design a poster and produce a video that show the impact of Virginia’s poultry industry and facts about poultry farming.

“One of AITC’s goals is to emphasize the impact on the communities where Perdue’s employees work and live on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and in Rockingham County,” she explained. “In our 2020-2021 fiscal year, AITC reached more 1 million children in Virginia with our educational resources. This fiscal year, AITC has committed to connecting 100 percent of Virginia’s children to agriculture.”

Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation, said Agriculture in the Classroom provides important information.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to education, Perdue is thrilled to continue to help Virginia schools reach students through the Ag in the Classroom curriculum,” said Nechay. “It brings a unique opportunity to expose students to the importance of agriculture, including understanding about where much of our food comes from and the industry’s impact in the region.”