Hormel Foods Corporation today announced that donations to hunger-relief organizations throughout the United States and abroad totaled more than $5 million during its fiscal year 2011.
The donations were part of Hormel's first year of its " On Our Way to Ending Hunger" program, which collaborates with retailers, nonprofit organizations and government agencies on domestic and international hunger relief efforts.
Hormel Foods assisted two hunger relief organizations in Iowa and Minnesota, provided food to areas hit hardest by natural disaster, shipped 1.3 million cans of Spammy, a shelf-stable poultry product fortified with vitamins and minerals, to supplement the local diet of the malnourished in Guatemala and donated funds to local food banks and charities in 16 U.S. communities where the company has manufacturing facilities, said Julie H. Craven, vice president of corporate communications at Hormel Foods.
Local organizations that combat hunger in Minnesota and Iowa benefited from Hormel's presence, receiving $240,000 to fight hunger in the region.
The organizations are:
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• Hunger-Free Minnesotais a statewide coalition of community and corporate organizations focused on closing Minnesota’s missing meals gap by providing 100 million additional meals, annually and sustainably, for Minnesotans in need by 2014.
• Des Moines Area Religious Councilis an interfaith organization that provides a common means of responding to basic human needs and serves as a liaison between member congregations to accomplish good in the Greater Des Moines community.
Hormel Foods also donated $110,000 to local hunger-relief organizations in 16 communities where it has U.S. manufacturing facilities to combat hunger in each community.
Working with its international partner, Food for the Poor, Hormel Foods shipped more than 1.3 million cans of Spammy in fiscal year 2011 to assist in the efforts to address malnutrition in Guatemala. The country has one of the highest poverty rates in Latin America and is in great need for food and other essential items for living.
Disaster relief was also on Hormel's list of aid. Hormel Foods provided almost 500,000 Hormel Compleats microwave meals to local Feeding America food banks.
The areas below received the product donations included the southeast U.S., which were hit by tornadoes in April; Joplin, Mo., which was devastated by an F-5 category tornado in May; Minot, N.D., which was hit by floods in June and the Northeast, which suffered flooding and power outages in August from Hurricane Irene.
