Perdue Farms joined the Delmarva Shorebirds, the minor league baseball affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles,  in annoucing on Wednesday the 2013 Perdue Strike Out Hunger on Delmarva campaign on behalf of three Delmarva food banks.

To help drive the season-long “Perdue Strike Out Hunger Challenge on Delmarva” campaign, Perdue has issued a $15,000 challenge grant funded through the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation to benefit the Eastern Shore Branch of the Maryland Food Bank, the Food Bank of Delaware, and the Eastern Shore Branch of the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia.

“The 2013 Perdue Strike Out Hunger Challenge on Delmarva provides the forum to continue the awareness and community involvement that successfully generated more than 100,000 meal equivalents last year for Delmarva’s food banks,” said Bill Hetherington, executive director of the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. “We’re proud to partner with the food banks and the Shorebirds for the third straight season; now we’re hoping the community will embrace the challenge again and help us in the fight against hunger. Together, we can ‘Strike Out Hunger on Delmarva.’ ”

The first $10,000 of the challenge grant will be divided equally among the three Delmarva food banks as a challenge to involve the Delmarva community in fighting hunger on Delmarva. Each of the food banks must raise the equivalent of 10,000 meals in order to claim their share of the $10,000. This can be in any combination of pounds of food collected, funds collected and donated, or volunteer efforts from the opening of the 2013 season on Thursday, April 4 through the final home game of the regular season on Thursday, August 29.

Perdue has also committed to donating $10 for each time the Shorebirds’ pitchers strike out an opposing batter (up to $5,000). The $5,000 will be split equally between the three Delmarva food banks.  In addition, the Shorebirds will run promotions throughout the regular season to benefit the “Perdue Strikeout Hunger Challenge on Delmarva.”

The Shorebirds have designated the season’s 11 Sunday home games as “Strike Out Hunger Challenge Sundays.” If fans bring two non-perishable food items they can receive a general admission ticket to that day’s game for $2. Food collected from the 10 Sunday home games will be distributed equally among the three food banks.  In addition, Arthur W. Perdue Stadium will house food donation barrels at all regular season home games, making it easy for fans to help by bringing food to the game or just stopping by the stadium.