The past year, Luke Jaindl of Jaindl Farms was named National Runner Up for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man of the Year campaign, which featured nearly 900 participants from all over the country.
Jaindl was named the Lehigh Valley 2017 Man of the Year, with more than $329,000 donated. More than half of the money he raised was through a 5K run that brought local businesses like Yocco’s Hot Dogs, Just Born candies and Jaindl’s A-Treat soda together to provide refreshments for the participants. The Valley as a whole raised a record-breaking $782,202 in ten weeks.
Jaindl Farms is known for giving turkeys to those in need throughout the holiday season. “We do that on an annual basis,” says Jaindl. These different experiences have been life changing for Jaindl, who strives to give back to others. “I was fortunate in growing up. I am a healthy human being. I am fighting for the people that can’t fight for themselves.”
Back when he was a student at Penn State, Jaindl helped raise over $20,000 by participating in Penn State’s annual THON, a student-run philanthropy committed to enhancing the lives of children and families impacted by childhood cancer. In 2013, Jaindl Farms hosted a Tough
Mudder and raised $50,000 for the Wounded Warriors Project. And in 2014, Jaindl Farms hosted the Dirty Girl 5K Festival, which raised $10,000 for Bright Pink—a national non-profit that focuses on early detection of breast and ovarian cancers in young women.