Investing in Positive Social Change

As part of our Hometown Strong initiative, Pilgrim’s U.S. is building the largest free college tuition program in rural America—Better Futures. Our team members and their child dependents have the opportunity to pursue their higher education dreams for associate degrees and trade certificates at community and technical colleges—tuition free.

We recognize and believe in the transformative power of higher education and the opportunities that come from education, coursework and technical skill training.

Better Futures removes a major financial barrier to college attendance and stands to become the largest free college tuition program in rural America. Pilgrim’s advisors will also help team members—many from first-generation American families—navigate the application process, which can be a deterrence to people applying to college for the first time.

The Better Futures program provides meaningful investments in the futures of our team members, their families and our communities.

Click here to learn more about the Better Futures initiative.

In 2019, Pilgrim’s U.S. launched the Tomorrow Fund, a scholarship program to support the collegiate pursuits of our team members and their direct dependents. Our vision is to become the best and most respected company in our industry, creating the opportunity of a better future for our team members. In line with this pursuit, we established the Tomorrow Fund to help our team members achieve their dreams and create a better future for themselves and their families through education. Every year, an eligible student from each of our 30 processing facilities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, plus our corporate office, will be awarded a full-ride scholarship to an eligible university of their choice. Our goal is to invest $2 million in the Pilgrim’s Tomorrow Fund scholarship recipients by 2025.

The Tomorrow Fund supports team members and direct dependents pursuing an initial bachelor’s degree, an accredited vocational-technical certification or an associate degree. Award recipients participate in a Pilgrim’s mentorship program and are extended internship offers for the summer at Pilgrim’s locations across the country.

At Pilgrim’s, we believe our people are our greatest strength. The Tomorrow Fund invests in the future, supports our local communities and improves the lives of our team members and their families through empowerment, education and personal growth. We awarded our inaugural class of Tomorrow Fund leaders with a full-ride scholarship in Fall 2020 and will announce the second class of 30 awardees in 2021.

Click here to read more about the Tomorrow Fund.

Our 2020 focus continued to be supporting our team members and the communities where we live and work. Some of our philanthropic work included:

• Continuing our Chicken Donations Program, which focuses on contributing to the communities surrounding our complexes and areas hit hardest by the pandemic. Donations were made possible through DIF (National System for the Development of the Family) and municipal governments.
• Donating cleaning and disinfection equipment, as well as storage barrels, which were modified and used to transfer patients with COVID-19.

During 2020 and two years prior, we obtained the ESR Distinctive (Corporate Social Responsibility Distinctive), which is granted by CEMEFI Mexican Center for Philanthropy. This is the highest recognition awarded in Mexico to companies committed to socially responsible and sustainable management.

Moy Park established a £1 million Community Support Fund aimed at supporting and enriching the lives of those in need across its local communities. This new initiative builds on Moy Park’s range of existing and long-established community measures, including charity and educational programs.

Moy Park’s HR and Performance Director, Kirsty Wilkins said, “The food industry plays a vital role, keeping our supermarket shelves stocked and we are thankful to our local towns, villages and team members who are part of this important effort. Moy Park is a people focused organization, and we invest heavily in development opportunities for our colleagues in the workplace. This new community initiative is a natural extension of this approach and we look forward to receiving applications from local groups.”

From 2018 to 2020, Pilgrim’s UK has donated more than £65,000 to Mind, which provides mental health support services that have become even more important throughout the pandemic.