Hormel Foods Corp., a global branded food company, announced it will be donating up to $300,000 to three organizations to help support education and equity as part of its Inspired Giving program. The donation will include matching donations by team members and retired alumni who want to join the company in its donation. Inspired Giving is part of the company’s new spotlight giving program that matches worthwhile causes and charities with the company’s core pillars of education, hunger and supporting communities. The company will be spotlighting other causes and charities that meet certain criteria with a company match. This is in addition to the company’s current charitable efforts that has donated more than $50 million in cash and products to worthy causes over the last five years.

The company’s Inclusion and Diversity Guiding Coalition selected three organizations for the first spotlight charities campaign, announced during the company’s global Inspired People Town Hall. The featured organizations include: Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the UNCF.

“Being a good corporate citizen is about more than just writing a check to worthwhile causes, it’s about making a difference and doing our part every day to lift up our communities and use our size and position as a global branded food company to make a difference through our philanthropic pillars of education, food security and community support,” said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer, Hormel Foods. “As a company that is inclusive in all that we do, we decided to let our team members choose how we should launch our Inspired Giving program and I am incredibly proud of the organizations and partnerships they selected.”

Gerald Meux, foodservice area manager, and Xavier Morgan, foodservice territory manager, led the company’s Inclusion and Diversity Guiding Coalition in the selection of the causes. Both members are part of HAARG – Hormel African American Resource Group – one of nine employee resource groups at Hormel Foods that all have a voice on the company’s Inclusion and Diversity Guiding Coalition.

“To have the executive leadership team at Hormel Foods look to the Inclusion and Diversity Guiding Coalition to determine what charitable organizations will receive the first donations of our Inspired Giving platform was a great opportunity and shows the continued commitment our company has to inclusion and diversity,” said Meux. “We all look forward to being a part of the process to help select other great charitable organizations Hormel Foods will support in the future.”

“It is imperative to support organizations that are helping to change the world when it comes to social injustice reform,” said Morgan. “Not only do these organizations fit our Hormel Foods philanthropic pillars, but they also help address some of the issues at its roots through policy reform. I am committed to continuing to do the work to help better our world and I am thrilled to work for a company that is a great corporate citizen.”

According to Danielle Journo, manager of inclusion and talent development at Hormel Foods, embracing diversity means understanding and recognizing that each of us is unique and our differences are our greatest strength.

“At Hormel Foods, we believe that everyone has a role to play in inclusion and diversity,” said Journo. “We also have individuals who are working every day to create a culture of belonging, value and respect. We have talented team members driving meaningful initiatives forward as part of our Inclusion and Diversity Guiding Coalition. For us, the power is in the collective. Together, we can and will go far.”

Source: Hormel Foods Corp.