MOULTRIE, Ga. — Sanderson Farms recently pointed out in a corporate press release how its policy of charity meshes with a change in corporate America as companies seek to meet evolving expectations of employees and customers.

One needs to look no further than Moultrie to see the results of this culture of giving.

Sanderson Farms, the third largest poultry producer in the United States, opened its Moultrie plant in 2005, and almost immediately the company and its employees became the top contributor to the fund-raising campaign of the United Way of Colquitt County.

According to Observer archives, Sanderson Farms gave $5,000 to the United Way campaign in 2004, was named Most Improved Giver in 2005 when they gave $30,036, and has received the Top Giver Award every year since 2006.

“Their pledges are almost 20 percent of our annual campaign,” said UW Executive Director Angela Castellow. “They encourage employee giving and they match employee gifts dollar for dollar.”

“Since 2008,” Castellow said, “United Way of Colquitt County has added the Boys and Girls Club as a partner agency, provided funding to the YMCA for the Mentoring Program and the Homework Afterschool help, the Story Time in the Parks through the Library, increased funding for basic needs such as help with rent and utilities, increased support to Serenity House, just to name a few of the programs we have supported in recent years.”

While Sanderson Farms’ pledges have not been solely responsible for the expansion of funding, they have clearly helped to make those programs possible.

If corporate responsibility is to be woven into the fabric of a company, it has to stem from executive leadership, the Sanderson Farms press release said, and it lifted up Chairman and CEO Joe F. Sanderson Jr. as the perfect example of that type of leadership.

“Operating with the same conviction as his father before him, Sanderson believes that a company will only be as successful as the communities in which it operates,” the release said. “He guides his Fortune 1000 organization with the knowledge that a true sense of corporate responsibility is as important as achieving growth, producing the highest quality products, and providing unparalleled customer service.”

“Our success is about much more than just becoming a bigger company and corporate profits,” said Sanderson. “We believe success is best measured by meeting our responsibility to our people, our process and our products, as well as to our customers and shareholders.”

One of the ways Sanderson Farms meets this responsibility is through charitable giving. In fiscal year 2015, the organization donated more than $1.1 million to charitable organizations around the country, including more than $370,000 through the United Way in the communities in which it operates.

“If you can imagine a company moving to a community and improving the quality of life for thousands of individuals and families, that’s what Sanderson Farms did for Lenoir County [North Carolina],” said June Cummings, executive director of Lenoir/Greene United Way. “Not only their corporate gift, but their employee gifts to United Way have made a tremendous difference.”

Sanderson Farms’ continued success is shaped by its unwavering commitment to operational excellence, as well as its values that support environmental and social responsibility, the company said. Named among America’s 100 Most Trustworthy Companies by Forbes Magazine, the company is committed to protecting the environment and one another.

Since 2012, Sanderson Farms has donated nearly 1,000,000 pounds of poultry to charitable organizations — including the Colquitt County Food Bank.

Additionally, the Sanderson Farms Championship, as part of the PGA TOUR, has generated more than $2.7 million in donations to Friends of Children’s Hospital, a fundraising organization supporting Mississippi’s only children’s hospital.

Since 1993, Sanderson Farms has built more poultry complexes than any other company in the nation. With 11 processing facilities, nine hatcheries and eight feed mills spanning five states in 16 different communities, the company strives to grow responsibly by focusing on its commitment to the communities in which it operates.

“Sanderson Farms has done everything they said they would do and more,” said Bill Ellis, director of parks and recreation for Kinston, N.C. “Before they even opened their doors, they donated 40,000 cubic yards of dirt for a soccer complex. They come in and clean up along the riverbank. From the plant manager down to the line employee, they really want to make the community a better place.”