Perdue Farms, a corporation based out of Salisbury, Maryland, donated over 28,000 pounds of chicken to Second Harvest of South Georgia last month. This donation is part of Perdue’s commitment to donate two million pounds per year to Feeding America food banks like Second Harvest.  This generous donation will be distributed through the food bank’s network of partner agencies including soup kitchens, shelters, and after school feeding programs.  Over the past 15 years, Perdue Farms has donated 46 million pounds of poultry products nationwide through Feeding America.

Hunger is a pervasive problem in South Georgia.  1 in 4 people, including 1 in 3 children, in our area do not have access to a stable source of food.  Georgia ranks 4^th in childhood hunger in the United States, and Second Harvest’s 30 county service area has the highest rates of any region in the state.  Complicating the issue is the fact that generally at-risk individuals and family can afford food that is of little nutritional value.

“All of us at Perdue are proud to stand in partnership in the fight against hunger with Feeding America and its nationwide partner network of which Second Harvest Food Bank of South Georgia is a valued member,” said Tommy Waters, director of Perdue operations in Gainesville, Ga., from where the protein was sourced. “At Perdue, we believe that in a nation as rich as our, no one should have to go hungry. It’s through donations like this that enable us to help our partners feed those in need.”

“This donation is particularly beneficial to us because it is a healthy source of protein that we can distribute to those in need,” said Frank Richards, CEO of Second Harvest of South Georgia. “Fighting hunger in our area is not something Second Harvest can do alone.  It takes a cooperative effort to make a difference.  Perdue Farms has been a valuable partner in that work for a many years, and we are grateful for their continued support.”

About Perdue Farms
Perdue Farms is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for everyone we touch through innovative food and agricultural products. Since our beginning on Arthur Perdue’s farm in 1920, to our expansion into agribusiness and the introduction of the PERDUE^® brand of chicken and turkey under Frank Perdue, and continuing with our third generation of leadership with Chairman Jim Perdue, we’ve remained family owned and family operated. We are the parent company of Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness. Through our PERDUE^®, HARVESTLAND^® and COLEMAN NATURAL^®, and COLEMAN ORGANIC^® food brands; agricultural products and services; and stewardship and corporate responsibility programs, we are working to become the most-trusted name in food and agricultural products.

On the surface, people relying on foodbanks may not appear to be “hungry.” They may have a home and a job. Yet all too often, they struggle to get enough to eat for themselves and, in many cases, their families. Many qualify as working poor — they work long hours but are paid such meager wages that they are forced to choose between paying the heating bill and buying food. And for a person living paycheck to paycheck, one car problem or unforeseen illness can have devastating consequences. Despite their hard work, food-insecure people often find financial stability out of reach.

Foodbanks are a lifeline for millions of people and families in need. In every county across America, they provide food for people struggling to get by. Yet while these services are critical, the provision of food alone will not solve the problem of hunger. As the plight of the working poor demonstrates, food insecurity does not exist in isolation. It intersects with other basic needs such as housing, access to health care, and employment. To truly solve the problem, we have to meet the needs of low-income families holistically and help them build a pathway out of poverty.

Recognizing this, some foodbanks have begun to partner with job training organizations, healthcare workers, financial firms, and others to help the people they serve access resources that enable them to meet other priority needs. Bank of America, for example, has committed to working with Feeding America to provide families facing hunger with access to the benefits and financial tools they need to begin building a financial safety net and, ultimately, a path to economic stability. Partnerships such as these enable food-insecure families to reach goals they once thought unimaginable, including saving for college, buying a house, and achieving financial stability.

Here’s another thing to keep in mind: You don’t have to be involved with a large organization to make a difference. All of us have a role to play in solving hunger and ending poverty, and the holiday season is when foodbanks across the nation face increased demand. This holiday season, celebrate by doing your part to help fight hunger. Find your local foodbank and make a donation, volunteer, and/or spread the word. Together, we can help foodbanks provide hungry Americans not only with food but with the resources they need to have a brighter tomorrow.

Click here to give the gift of meals for the holidays.

Second Harvest of South Georgia, with the help of many volunteers, distributed 1,500 pantry boxes to those in need Tuesday, November 25 for the Thanksgiving Giveaway! The pantry box held up to 25 pounds of food. The families were also given orange juice, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, bread and produce. The rain didn’t stop people from coming out to get food, hunger doesn’t take a rain check.

Thanksgiving Giveaway 2014

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Wild Adventures Says THANK YOU with Free Admission Offers and Food Drive
November is the month of looking back and giving thanks and Wild Adventures Theme Park has a cornucopia of gratitude to express to its guests and community after a fantastic year. In thanks, the park is offering special discount admission for everyone. Plus, free admission for some key service professionals who have a tremendous positive impact on the park and our community. The special offers are available during “Days of Thanks”, taking place November 28, 29 and 30.

“It has been a wonderful year at Wild Adventures and it is so important for us to take the time and say thank you,” General Manager Molly Deese said. “We feel extremely blessed to be part of this community and we want to share our appreciation this Thanksgiving season.”

During “Days of Thanks”, everyone gets Buy One Get One Free Admission with donation of a canned food item. All food collected will go to Second Harvest of South Georgia, the leading hunger-relief organization in the region that services more than 12,500 square miles and 30 counties.

In thanks for their above and beyond service, teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers and military including active, retired, disabled and reservists are all invited to visit Wild Adventures November 28, 29 or 30 and enjoy free admission with proof of occupation or military service.
For more information on Days of Thanks or to purchase your 2015 Season passes, call 229-219-7080 or visit WildAdventures.com

All warehouses will be closed Monday, November 10 in recognition of Veteran’s Day.

Thank you to all the brave men and women that serve our country!

Second Harvest of South Georgia held its annual Make a Difference Day on Saturday, October 4, at its Valdosta headquarters.  For more than two decades, the Points of Light Foundation has sponsored this national day of community service that connects people with opportunities to serve.  Just as it has in years past, Second Harvest is participating in Make a Difference Day in order to let local community volunteers be a part of the fight to end hunger in South Georgia.

Volunteers who took part in this day of hard, but very rewarding, work will have a direct positive impact on the lives of families, children and senior citizens across our area.  1 in 4 people in our area struggle with hunger on a daily basis, including 1 in 3 children. Participants packed nearly 800 food boxes to give to those in need at Thanksgiving distribution events; they also helped sort canned goods for Second Harvest’s food bank program.  Over 250 people joined in the event; volunteers included groups from Valdosta State University, Valdosta City Schools, Lowndes County Schools and local churches among others.

This year’s group was smaller than in past years by design.  Second Harvest planned a scaled back due to construction work on site.  The food bank is in the early stages of a renovation project to update operational spaces and increase the Valdosta food bank’s capacity to collect and distribute perishable foods like meat, dairy and produce. The improvement project is being funded through a CDBG grant with the help of Lowndes County.

“We are so grateful the hundreds of folks who roll up their sleeves to help us fight hunger on Make a Difference Day each year,” said Second Harvest Chief Marketing Officer Eliza McCall. “We look forward to next year’s event being bigger and better than ever!”

Volunteers are an essential part of the food bank’s operations, helping the small staff accomplish its enormous workload. Second Harvest operates four branches and serves a 30 county region in South Georgia.  Last year, the organization distributed 18.5 million pounds of food last year through its network of 425 partner agencies and a variety of programs.  Second Harvest is the largest rural food bank in Georgia.

Similar events will be held on October 18, 2014 at Second Harvest’s Albany and Thomasville branches. If you’re interested in participating email [email protected].

On Friday, August 23 we took part in United Way’s Day of Caring – a community tradition since 1954. The ultimate goal of Day of Caring is community leaders can interact with agencies of United Way and we can build stronger strategic partnerships to accomplish the individual mission of the agencies and the overall mission of the United Way.

As a partner of United Way we participated as a host for the volunteers to visit. Local businesses form groups that visit United Way’s partner agencies. There were groups that stayed and volunteered by packing 288 pantry boxes that will be distributed at manna drops. There was another group in our warehouse that sorted through salvage.

Some groups signed up for the Amazing Race – groups compete against each other by racing to the partner agencies trying to be the first group to complete all of the tasks.

Day of Caring was a success and helped us feed hope to the community!

The summer has officially begun! That is music to a child’s ears… except not all children are happy to hear the news.

A child should spend their summer playing outside, spending time with their family and swimming a lot.

Some parents can’t afford to pay to feed their child the extra meals of the day that were provided to them at school through free or reduced-price school meals. School was a good way to make sure those kids were being fed, but most of those children aren’t enrolled in summer meal programs so we worry about them a little more in the upcoming months.

Here at Second Harvest we are trying to help out those families. This is an issue that we must solve together. Some ways to help us keep these children nourished are:

• Monetary donation: Donate online or mail checks to
  1411 Harbin Circle
  Valdosta, GA 31601
• Food donation: You can bring food donations to any of our warehouses (Valdosta, Thomasville, Albany or Douglas)
• Volunteer at one of our warehouses: Contact Wes Kennedy to set up a time
  (229) 244-2678 x 202
• Bring awareness to the issue: You can do so by sharing this post

Visit here if you or someone you know is looking for a summer program that offers free meals for children.

1 in 3 children in South Georgia goes hungry every day, what if your child was the 1? Help end childhood hunger.

The holiday season is upon us and, with that, our minds and hearts are turned to thoughts of giving.  We often hear people say they want to give to support our work in the fight against hunger in South Georgia but that they don’t have enough money.  With that in mind, we’d like to offer another perspective on supporting Second Harvest.

Clearly, we couldn’t accomplish our work without our financial donors, and we are eternally grateful for their support.  However, here are some ways you can give to Second Harvest without it being a financial burden:

1. Donate your time:

Come volunteer at one of our four branches.  We have volunteer opportunities for almost everyone.  Contact us at [email protected] to find out how you can help.

2. Give food:

Donate non-perishable food and grocery items.  For you bargain hunters and couponers, consider Second Harvest when you are shopping for deals.  We can make use of extras that you may  not have the space to store.  Click here to find our more about donating food.

3. Share your voice:

Help us tell our story to others.  The best tool we have to spread our message is you! You can keep up with us on social media by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Invite your friends to “like” Second Harvest of South Georgia!

4. Host a food drive:

Hold a food drive at work or school and collect food to donate.  Encourage others to join you in the holiday spirit by giving to those in need this Christmas.

5. Become a monthly donor:

Sign up for our monthly giving program and spread your gift out over 12 months.  $10 a month may not seem like much, but it adds up.  With that $10 a month, we can feed 24 children in need for a week through our Kids’ Cafe after-school feeding program.

6. Give funds.

We always, of course, welcome financial donations, but these can also be Christmas gifts!  What better way to honor the person who has everything than filling the plate of the person who has nothing.  To make a financial gift, please click here.