Hormel Foods Partners with Operation Gratitude to Send 52,000 Letters to Troops

AUSTIN, Minn., Jan. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) announced today that it has partnered with Operation Gratitude and set a goal to send 52,000 letters of thanks to active duty service members overseas.

Through its sponsorship with the Super Bowl Host Committee, Hormel Foods is using its activation space at Super Bowl LIVE presented by Verizon to have attendees write letters of appreciation to deployed troops. The thank you letters will accompany 52,000 care packages sent to active duty service members by Operation Gratitude.

“Hormel Foods has a long tradition of supporting our military. Whether it’s providing food for our troops or career opportunities when they look to transition to civilian life, Hormel Foods is there,” said Jeff Baker, group vice president of foodservice at Hormel Foods. “We are proud and inspired to partner with Operation Gratitude, and are confident we will achieve our goal of sending 52,000 thank you letters to the troops.”

“Partnering with Hormel Foods is a great opportunity for Operation Gratitude to expand its support of our military and our mission to give every American a way of expressing their appreciation to those who serve,” said Kevin Schmiegel, chief executive officer at Operation Gratitude. “These thank you letters are some of the most treasured items in our care packages and we are excited to work with Hormel Foods to accomplish this audacious goal.”

In addition to handwritten letters, the company has tablets and kiosks for people to send electronic thank you notes, and the activation space also includes a historical 1918 photo of Hormel Foods employees during a summer event. This photo includes the company’s founder, George Hormel, and his family along with the entire company staff holding signs about each department. One sign read “Stenographic department. We write letters to our troops,” further evidence of the company’s long-standing tradition of supporting our troops with letters of thanks.

An online option is available for those who are not able to attend the activation space in person. Visit https://www.hormelfoods.com/operation-gratitude/ to complete a thank you letter form.

About Hormel Foods – Inspired People. Inspired Food.™
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenues across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Skippy^®, SPAM^®, Hormel^® Natural Choice^®, Applegate^®, Justin’s^®, Wholly Guacamole^®, Hormel^® Black Label^® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of “The 100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for the ninth year in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. In 2016, the company celebrated its 125th anniversary and announced its new vision for the future – Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ – focusing on its legacy of innovation. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

About Operation Gratitude:
Operation Gratitude, a 501(c)(3), volunteer-based organization, annually sends 250,000+ care packages to Veterans, New Recruits, First Responders, Wounded Heroes, Caregivers, and to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed overseas and their families waiting at home. Each package is filled with food, entertainment, hygiene and hand-made items, as well as personal letters of support. Operation Gratitude’s mission is to lift the spirits and meet the evolving needs of the Military and First Responder communities, and provide volunteer opportunities for civilians anywhere in America to express their appreciation to all who serve our nation. Each package contains donated product valued between $50 and $100 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 2 Million Care Packages.

Contact: Rick Williamson
507-437-5345
media@hormel.com

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SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation

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