Sanderson Farms Pledges $25,000 Donation to United Way of East/Central Texas to Help Families Displaced by Recent Floods
PALESTINE, Texas (May 18, 2016) – In the wake of disastrous flooding in Anderson County, Texas, Sanderson Farms, Inc. recently pledged $25,000 through United Way’s Emergency Disaster Relief Fund to help victims and the local community recover from the devastation.
“Sanderson Farms is an example of a great community leader who is willing to step up to the plate in a time of crisis,” said Richard Jones, Executive Director of United Way of East/Central Texas. “What Sanderson Farms is doing to help support those in Palestine whose lives have been impacted by this crisis, is not only vital to the wellbeing of their employees and their families, but to the entire community,” Jones continued. “This money will go directly towards helping the victims and families displaced by recent flooding rebuild and recover. On behalf of United Way of East/Central Texas and the residents of Palestine, thank you to Sanderson Farms for their outpouring of support during this difficult time in our community.”
“Sanderson Farms employs more than 12,000 people across five states, and we feel it’s part of our duty as a good corporate citizen to help the communities where our employees and their families live,” said Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., CEO and Chairman of the Board of Sanderson Farms. “Corporate responsibility is indicative of our organization, and we are humbled by the opportunity to make a difference in our communities, especially during a time of crisis.”
“We are certainly glad the community as a whole can benefit from this donation, and it really brings it home when we realize that some of our own employees were directly affected,” said Allen Butler, Division Manager of Sanderson Farms Processing Division in Palestine, Texas. “Here at Sanderson Farms, we believe in giving back to our community, and we’ll do all that we can to take care of our employees and all of the families of Palestine who have been impacted by this disaster.”
Sanderson Farms, Inc. is a fully integrated poultry processing company headquartered in Laurel, Miss., which currently employs approximately 1,000 people in its poultry complex near the city of Palestine, Texas. Several Sanderson Farms employees were directly affected by the disastrous weather and flooding, adding to the significance of this donation.
In addition to the donation, Sanderson Farms will partner with United Way of East/Central Texas for the Dogwood Children’s Literacy & Art Festival in Downtown Palestine on May 21, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. to promote the Palestine Public Library, literacy, and the arts in the community. United Way is currently seeking additional sponsors and support from organizations or non-profit agencies interested in participating in the event or putting on an activity. For more information on the event, visit the Dogwood Children’s Literacy and Art Festival Facebook page.
United Way of East/Central Texas will also hold a Food Packaging Event on June 4, 2016 from 10 a.m. – noon, and is seeking volunteers to assist with packaging more than 66,000 individually packed meals to distribute to local food pantries for the summer. Summer months prove to be increasingly hard on struggling families when kids are out of school and are not able to receive a school lunch. This leads to an increase in demand from food pantries to help provide assistance. The June 4th event will help provide additional resources to those food pantries already struggling to meet the growing demands of providing healthy lunches for families and children in our community.
For more information on how to volunteer or support either of these events, please contact Richard Jones at 903-727-8798 or [email protected], or visit the United Way of East/Central Texas Facebook page.
About United Way
With 2.9 million volunteers and 10.3 million donors worldwide, and more than $5 billion raised every year, United Way is the world’s largest privately-funded nonprofit. We’re engaged in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create community solutions that improve education, financial stability and health. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org.
About Sanderson Farms
Sanderson Farms (NASDAQ:SAFM), based in Laurel, Miss., is one of the nation’s leading food corporations. Incorporated in 1955, with the initial public offering presented in 1987, Sanderson Farms, Inc. is a fully integrated poultry processing company engaged in the production, processing, marketing and distribution of fresh and frozen chicken and other prepared food items.