UNION SPRINGS, Ala.(May 6, 2008) - Employees at Wayne Farms LLC's Union Springs facility have dedicated this spring to supporting education in the community. During the months of March and April, more than 15 Wayne Farms employees volunteered to lend a hand to local education by participating in the "Read Across America" program at Union Springs Elementary  School and the "Reality Check" simulation at Bullock County High School.

"We have received such a great response about these programs from our employees," said Nicole Nichols, human resources manager at Wayne Farms. "We're dedicated to the premise that education is a community responsibility and we're proud to be a part of these positive initiatives."

In March, a dozen employees read aloud from classic children's books to kindergarten, first, second and third-graders at Union Springs Elementary School during the National Education Association's "Read Across America" event. The overall goal of the event, held annually since 1997, is for every child in every community to celebrate the joy of reading on or around the birthday of author Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss).

Wayne Farms also distributed Dr. Seuss-themed activity packets to the students and donated the books read to the school library.   Just last month, five employees participated in the April 29 "Reality Check" simulation at Bullock County High School. Reality Check, a program of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), is designed to simulate "real life" for students in seventh through the 12th grades. During the exercise, students pretend they are 25 years old and making adult decisions, including shopping for groceries, paying taxes and buying a car. The objective of the program is to address financial management on a level that the students can understand and teach them the importance of managing money to properly provide for themselves and their families. 

The Wayne Farms Union Springs facility consists of an 85,000 square-foot fresh processing as well as a feed mill and hatchery. The facility has been owned and operated by Wayne Farms since 1961 and employs nearly 1000 people from Barbour, Bullock, Lee, Macon, Montgomery and Pike counties. 

About Wayne Farms LLC 

Wayne Farms LLC is the fifth-largest vertically integrated poultry producer in the United States with annual sales exceeding $1 billion. A subsidiary of ContiGroup Companies, Inc., Wayne Farms LLC owns and operates 13 fresh and further-processed facilities throughout the Southeast, produces more than 1 billion pounds of poultry products each year, and employs more than 9,200 individuals.