Pilgrim’s, the home company of the local poultry processing plant, has pledged to invest $535,000 in Ellijay and the local community via the company’s new Hometown Strong initiative.
According to information provided by the Pilgrim’s home office in Greeley, Colo., the Hometown Strong initiative is designed to support the futures of communities where Pilgrim’s plants are located and respond to needs that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The goal of the program is to meet immediate and long-term community needs in the areas of food insecurity, community infrastructure and well-being and COVID-19 emergency response and relief efforts, said a release from the company.
Pilgrim’s representatives will be working with government and officials in receiving communities to identify where the funds will be spent. All projects will be determined by the end of the year, according to Pilgrim’s corporate.
“We are humbled to partner with our hometown to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors. Though these past few months have been challenging for everyone, we want to do all we can to help our community move forward and be even stronger in the future,” said Pilgrim’s Ellijay Complex Manager Randy Long.
The funds will be spent in both the county and the city of Ellijay, Long noted.
“We are currently working with the ag. department and Dr. (Shanna) Downs on a major project for the students of Gilmer County,” he added.
According to the Pilgrim’s home office, the Ellijay production plant employs a workforce of 1,100 and has an annual payroll of more than $33 million. The facility also supports 221 poultry growers, paying them more than $32 million a year for their chickens.
“As the largest employer in Gilmer County, Pilgrim’s is a proven supporter of our community,” said Ellijay Mayor Al Hoyle. “This latest endeavor, the Hometown Strong initiative, is just one more example of their efforts to be good corporate citizens.”
Hoyle noted that the city was recently made aware of the initiative and has not determined how funding will be used.
The Pilgrim’s corporate office is also welcoming suggestions from local residents on how the funds should be administered. Suggestions are being collected from each community that receives Hometown Strong funding. They can be emailed to: hometownstrong@pilgrims.com.
Hometown Strong, a $20 million total investment from the corporation, is also part of $50 million in nationwide contributions from beef and pork processor JBS USA, the majority shareholder of Pilgrim’s.
The Ellijay plant, one of seven Pilgrim’s facilities in Georgia, has invested more than $16 million in local capital improvements over the last six years, noted Pilgrim’s corporate.
Other Georgia Hometown Strong recipient communities include Canton, Athens, Carrollton, Douglas, Elberton and Gainesville. The initiative is expected to bring a total investment of $3.5 million to communities in the state.