BARRON, Wis., Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents of
Barron, Wisc., and the surrounding
communities came together in hope and remembrance Wednesday night.
Hundreds attended the Lighting of a Tree of Hope for Jayme Closs ceremony and lit more than 65
lanterns into the sky in honor of Jim and
Denise Closs and the continued hope for the safe return of
their daughter, Jayme.
Closs has been missing since October
15 and the event highlighted the community's continued
resolve to find Jayme and bring her home.
"Tonight, we show the world that Barron is full of hope and full of light,"
said Jim Snee, chairman of the
board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods.
"Jim and Denise Closs were more than
team members, they were family. And so is Jayme. This tree of hope
will shine brightly in remembrance of Denise and Jim, and it will
also be a reminder that we must not lose hope for Jayme and her
safe return." The company and its subsidiary, Jennie-O Turkey
Store, partnered with the Barron
School District to coordinate the event. Jim and Denise Closs were long-time Jennie-O
Turkey Store team members.
Michael Closs, Jim Closs' brother, spoke on behalf of the
family. "The support has been overwhelming. Our family is just like
you, we just want Jayme home. We can't thank the community
enough."
"This is what we are running on right now, is hope," said
Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald. "While this case is very heart
breaking, this [event] is very heartwarming at the same time. We
have one goal left, we will bring Jayme home and we will bring
peace to this community."
Anyone with tips can contact the sheriff's department at
1-855-744-3879 or via email at jaymetips@co.barron.wi.us.
"When Jennie-O Turkey Store and Hormel Foods approached us to do
this event, we were so moved. It's been a really difficult time for
us all and when the idea for the tree was presented, we couldn't
have thought of a better way to share our hope and wishes for
Jayme's safe return," said Diane
Tremblay, Barron County School Superintendent.
The event ended with a special video message from Barron native, musician and NBC's "The Voice"
finalist Chris Kroeze. Kroeze said,
"I want to encourage everyone to keep hope alive and stay positive.
Bringing the community together is an awesome thing and it's just
encouraging to see everyone pull together like this." Kroeze had
dedicated his performance of The Beatles' "Let it Be" to Jayme and
the Barron community on a recent
episode of the show.
Contact: 507-434-6352
media@hormel.com
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SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation