DECATUR, Ala. (May 28, 2008) – 2008 marks a milestone for Wayne Farms LLC’s Decatur facility in their support for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Although this is only the third year that Wayne Farms Decatur has participated in the Relay, the team has reached the purple level of fundraising—a distinction reserved for those teams that raise more than $50,000 to help the Society research the causes and treatments of cancer and honor those who have battled the disease.

“The passion and dedication that our employees have shown for this cause is truly inspiring,” said Brad Blackmon, Wayne Farms operations manager. “Reaching this level of success so quickly is a testament not only to how important this fight is, but also to how much can be accomplished if so many people believe in what they’re doing.”

Wayne Farms’ largest single fundraiser in 2008 was the seventh annual charity golf tournament at Burningtree Country Club in Decatur. This year’s tournament drew almost 150 players from more than 20 local companies and raised approximately $20,000, nearly half of Wayne Farms’ total. The event was sponsored by 73 local companies including Apple Lane Farms, Hubbard & Drake and Wilks Tire & Battery.

John Wynn, Travis Briscoe, Mac Teston and Andy Villareal from Cintas placed first in AM round, followed closely by Jerry Johnson, Greg Hill, Steve Waters and Trevor Wright from WS Electrical. Gateway Commercial Brokerage’s George Barran, Derek Traylor, Carlton McMasters and John Pylant were the first place winners of the PM round, with Joey Arnold, Jason McCain, Sammy Arnold and Kane Arnold of Decatur Electronics taking the second place slot. Closest to the Pin prizes were awarded to Bob Cetera and Scott Crumbley. Scott Fuller and John Barnard were recognized for Long Drive in the Fairway.

In addition to the golf tournament, Wayne Farms’ Relay team raised money throughout the past 12 months by selling cookbooks, holding bake sales, hosting a charity bowling tournament and a popular “Biggest Loser” competition for employees, which not only raised money for the Relay, but encouraged participants to lose weight and get healthy.

The Decatur division of Wayne Farms consists of a 72,000 square-foot fresh processing facility, an 180,000 square-foot further processing facility and a 130,000 square-foot further processing facility. The individual plants have been owned and operated by Wayne Farms since 1976, 1998 and 2006, respectively. The Decatur division employs around 1500 people from the surrounding community.

 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.

About Relay for Life

Relay for Life is an annual fundraising initiative of the American Cancer Society. The first team Relay was held in 1986, and was the brainchild of Dr. Gordy Klatt, a Washington colorectal surgeon who wanted to find a way for everyone to celebrate those who have battled cancer, remember those lost and get inspired to fight back. Since that first event, millions of people around the world have participated in Relay for Life, making it the largest fundraising event in history. For more information about Relay for Life, please visit www.relayforlife.org.