Contributed

Perdue Farms Inc. has provided help and support to the veterans of Richmond County by donating hundreds of servings of chicken over the course of a year. AmVets thanks Perdue Farms wholeheartedly for its support. A picture of an Airborne Troop with a thank you plaque was presented to Perdue Farms by Edward and Mary O’Neal. From left to right: Edward J. O’Neal, Past State Commander of AmVets, Kendall Casey, Director of Operations at Perdue, Jim Brown, Human Resources Manager, and Mary O’Neal, President of Auxiliary for AmVets Post 316.

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In an effort to support AmVets, Perdue Farms Inc. in Rockingham regularly donates cases of chicken for events, fundraisers and to feed the hungry.

Edward J. O’Neal, past State Commander of AmVets, and his wife Mary, recently awarded Perdue Farms Inc. with a plaque of appreciation that depicts an active duty Airborne Trooper, with his entire load strapped to his body.

“The picture represents all active military and the heavy load they carry,” said O’Neal. “The World War II veterans are the worst off now, they are in their 80s and 90s.”

Soldiers may carry gear, food and clothing with them in the field, and when veterans come home they may carry the memories of war with them, and the health conditions they sustained. The AmVets work to assist veterans that are homeless or struggling to make ends meet.

O’Neal said the AmVets raise thousands of dollars every year that go to help provide struggling veterans with groceries, or gas to get them to doctors appointments in Fayetteville, Chapel Hill or other cities that are not close by. According to O’Neal, there are 5,600 veterans in Richmond County. Perdue Farms Inc. donates buckets of chicken to the AmVets, as much as six cases at a time. Each bucket contains 60 servings, and such a donation could feed 600 people with thighs and drumsticks.

The AmVets is a non-profit organization that receives donations from businesses and individuals. They not only support the retired veterans, but active military as well. O’Neal said the AmVets send about 2,000 phone cards a year to soldiers stationed overseas.

“We bought the Aviation Brigade dinner before they left,” said O’Neal. “We fed the whole brigade steak dinner.”

O’Neal and his wife live in Hamlet.