Pilgrim’s Announces Recipients of Hometown Strong Funding in Carrollton

Pilgrim’s is providing an update on how its Hometown Strong funds are being invested in Carrollton, Ga., to support the community’s future.

In September 2020, Pilgrim’s announced a $325,000 investment in the community. The company has worked closely with local leaders to identify where the funds can best help meet immediate and longer-term community needs in three key areas: food insecurity, community infrastructure and well-being and COVID-19 emergency response and relief efforts.

Pilgrim’s Carrollton has funded the below projects through the Hometown Strong initiative:

• Carroll County Schools received $190,000 to build a facility dedicated to agriculture education that will serve as a resource for FFA members and young farmers.
• University of West Georgia Foundation, Inc. received $12,400 to sustain an existing Pilgrim’s Endowed Scholarship and increase the scholarship amount to a $1,000 - $1,500 annual award.

“We are proud to partner with Carroll County Schools and University of West Georgia Foundation, Inc. to provide these invaluable educational resources to young students in our community,” said Ricky Walker, Pilgrim’s Carrollton complex manager. “These projects will make a large impact on our community, especially in the next generation to come.”

“The investment Pilgrim’s is making in agricultural education in Carroll County Schools will make a difference in the education of many students from all over our county,” said Jared Griffis, Principal at Central High School. “The opportunity to partner with Pilgrim’s is a blessing, and I am very excited for the future of agricultural education in Carroll County.”

In addition to the above projects, Pilgrim’s Carrollton recently presented a $22,100 check to the Carroll County Soup Kitchen to purchase and install a walk-in freezer to help alleviate food insecurity in the community.

The Pilgrim’s Carrollton facility employs 667 people with an annual payroll of $22 million. The facility supports 83 growers, paying them more than $18 million per year for their chickens.

Pilgrim’s anchors dozens of rural communities – operating more than 30 meat poultry and prepared foods facilities and employing 31,000-plus people in the United States. Nationally, the Hometown Strong initiative is a $20 million investment from Pilgrim’s, which is part of a $70 million nationwide contribution from JBS USA. Visit hometownstrong.jbssa.com to learn more.