DECATUR, Ala. (November 5, 2007) – Wayne Farms LLC’s Decatur facility was recognized recently at the Fall Relay Reunion in Birmingham with a Diamond Award

presented each year to those individual Relay for Life teams which raise between $30,000 and $50,000 for the American Cancer Society (ACS).

“We’re so excited to be recognized with the Diamond Award,” said Brad Blackmon, Wayne Farms Decatur operations manager. “Our team works incredibly hard throughout the year planning and raising money for the ACS through the Relay for Life and this award is acknowledgement for that work.”

Also at the Relay Reunion, the Decatur area Relay for Life overall event, including community participants such as Wayne Farms, Nucor, Family Security Credit Union and 3M, was ranked 14th in the Midsouth Division (six states in all) for raising a total of $230,081.86. 

In addition to recognizing outstanding Relay for Life teams, attendees at the Relay Reunion were able to look back on how their teams contributed to the ACS during 2007 and plan for next year’s event.

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 1200 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.