LEWISTON-WOODVILLE – Local leaders gathered at the corner of Mitchell and Cashie streets here Wednesday morning to celebrate the long-term collaboration between Perdue Farms and Hive House.

Building upon a commitment to improve the quality of life in the communities in which it operates, Perdue Farms, through support from the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, presented a $10,000 grant to the Bertie County Hive House.

The Hive House, located 103 Mitchell Street in Lewiston-Woodville, helps strengthen families and communities in Bertie County by providing access to information, resources, and program services that support and improve the lives of the community’s parents, children and youth.

The Hive House serves as an after-school program, a summer program, a technology center, a parental and educational center, a food pantry, and provides needed shelter to victims of domestic violence.
“We’re truly blessed to have a friend and community partner like Perdue,” said Vivian Saunders, founder and CEO of the non-profit Bertie County Hive House. “We’ve benefitted from a long history of support from Perdue, not only financially, but through the compassion of its caring associates who also support our programs. We’re grateful for the continued support of Perdue and the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation.”

She said she has 30-year history with Perdue when she was with the Bertie County Family Resource Center to her founding of the Hive House.

Saunders said Hive House serves at-risk families in western Bertie County. Its mission is to strengthen families by providing opportunities for adults to improve job skills and get jobs. It also provides a safe and stable environment for children while their parents are working.

Saunders added that the Hive House has 34 children in its after-school program and will serve 54 children in its summer school program.

Hive House also has Tech Center, and offers tutorial assistance in reading and math.
The Hive House moved to its current location in Lewiston-Woodville in 2012 thanks in part from another $20,000 Perdue Foundation grant to help remodel its current home. Through the years, associates from the Perdue operation in Lewiston have provided holiday gifts for families in need and held fund-raisers to support Hive’s mission.

Saunders said that in addition to this $10,000 grant for operational expenses, Perdue also donated $2,500 about a month ago to help with repairs caused by a small fire.

“Without the valuable services Vivian provides through the Hive House, there would be a big void in our community,” said Jeff Stalls, director of operations for Perdue of Lewiston-Woodville. “There are so many people in our community who benefit from her good work, including many of our associates. We’re thrilled to continue a long tradition of friendship and support with funding from Perdue and the Foundation.

“Perdue Farms is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in our communities,” said Stalls. “We give back to our community to help the children and families in need.”

Saunders said Hive House also gets a weekly donation of Perdue’s many poultry products.

She said Hive House got its name from former students in the alternative school project she used to operate.

“The students,” said Saunders, “said I worked them like drone bees, so we decided to name it Hive.”

It was in 2011 when what was then known as the Bertie County Family Resource Center in Lewiston-Woodville closed its doors due to state and local cutbacks. The center lost its funding from North Carolina and saw its local money cut by $10,000.

Things were so financially bad at that time that the Resource Center could not pay its $500 monthly rent.

But leave it to Saunders to figure out a way to keep these valuable resources available to the local residents.

She placed a phone call to the Rev. Gary Cordon of Victory Temple.

“Victory Temple had a house just sitting there on Mitchell Street and it was in bad shape,” Saunders said in an interview conducted by this newspaper in 2012. “I called him and asked if we fixed the house could we use it for the resource center and he agreed.”

That’s when volunteers began working together to restore the house to usable condition. The “Hivesmen” began volunteering to work on the house along with the Bertie High School JROTC.

Saunders also began work with One Economy to find those who were willing to make the dream a reality again in Lewiston Woodville. It didn’t take long before Perdue Inc., Bestway and Rent-A-Center were signed on to provide assistance to rebuild the house.

It took just a year before The Hive House opened its doors in October of 2012.

“The Hive House is the dream of Vivian Saunders, and the embodiment of what One Economy has been working toward for over 10 years,” said Sonja Murray, Senior Vice President and Chief Program Officer of One Economy. “We have always firmly believed in the power of public and private sectors combining forces to better serve community around the country. We couldn’t be more proud of Vivian and what she’s accomplished here.”

While many donated time and materials to see The Hive House become a success, perhaps no one gave more than Saunders, who contributed not only time, but her own finances to the project. She continued at that time to work unpaid as the Executive Director.

During its development nearly five years ago, the project received backing from a notable cast of national and local supporters, including Perdue, Aaron’s Stores, Rent-A-Center, Best Way Rentals, W.H. Basnight & Company, Ashley Furniture and the Bertie High School Junior ROTC.

Additionally, local residents John Trent (now Chairman of the Bertie County Board of Commissioners, Tim Bazemore Jr., Jeffery Felton and Oscar and Bonnie Jones were all instrumental in making the Hive House happen. Finally, the Senior Hivesmen, who were part of the original Hive in Bertie County, also pitched in with some “sweat equity,” helping to paint and refurbish the house itself.