AUSTIN, Minn., Oct. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- When the state
of Minnesota began shutting down
businesses and cancelling gatherings in order to curb the spread of
COVID-19, members of the Hormel® Natural Choice® brand team
questioned if they would be able to continue their Good Feeds Us
All Tour. Several brand-sponsored events had to be postponed
indefinitely, including the USO of Metropolitan
Washington-Baltimore (USO-Metro) family picnic scheduled for
summer. Then the team came up with a way to partner with USO-Metro
to celebrate U.S. military servicepeople and their families in a
safe manner. Enter the summer evening drive-in movie.
Working from their home offices near Austin, members of the Hormel® Natural
Choice® brand team worked in collaboration with the USO-Metro
team to stage the Good Feeds Us All event on Marine Corps Base
Quantico, near Triangle, Virginia.
Families – many of whom had never experienced a drive-in movie –
were treated to a showing of "Spiderman," food from Hormel®
Natural Choice® and an opportunity to be together and with
other families serving the United
States in the midst of a pandemic. Members of the USO-Metro
team and local volunteers helped execute the celebration.
"Those types of events create really special memories that bond
the family," said Col. William
Bentley, CEO of Marine Corp installations, national capital
region Marine Corps based Quantico. He added that in all activities
aimed at bringing people together, USO activities among them, food
is integral. "I don't think you can have any event without a
gathering around the table, so to speak. It really just creates
that community-type feeling where you're breaking bread and you're
sharing with other people."
Lisa Marie Riggins knows that
well. She is a member of a long-standing military family and
current Executive Director of USO-Metro, one of the largest USO
chapters in the world. She talked about the importance of giving
military families an opportunity to be together in a safe way.
"One of the things that's been so difficult about this pandemic
is psychologically it's been really hard for people who have been
trained to be out there protecting our safety and security," she
said. "We're helping military families, getting them out to enjoy
some food and entertainment. To me, that's powerful."
About the Good Feeds Us All Tour
The Hormel® Natural Choice® brand team devised the Good
Feeds Us All Tour in 2019 to spotlight extraordinary people
and service organizations throughout the
United States and to demonstrate that a simple sandwich not
only nourishes bodies, it can change lives.
"We've sat down with people who buy our brand, and we understand
a sandwich is very emotional. One consumer talked about the
sandwiches her mom used to make and how they made her feel so
special," said Beth Fehrenbacher,
senior brand manager for Hormel® Natural Choice®.
The Good Feeds Us All Tour began softly with a visit to the
Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf. It was fitting. After all,
the Good Feeds Us All ad campaign kicked off with a memorable and
heartwarming commercial featuring Joey, a little boy who learns
American sign language in order to ask his deaf classmate if she
would like to share his sandwich. "Good feeds our connections. Good
feeds us all," the voiceover proclaimed.
Hormel Foods team members hit their stride by the time they
landed in Dallas to work with the
Birthday Party Project, an organization that throws themed birthday
parties for kids who are often forgotten. The tour then headed to
Louisville, Kentucky, later in
March to spotlight We Dine Together, an organization that works for
inclusion – and against bullying – in high schools.
According to Fehrenbacher, at the heart of the Good Feeds Us All
Tour is a desire to show consumers what the brand is made of,
metaphorically speaking.
"We want consumers to see that we care," she said. "The tour is
about finding opportunities for the sharing of a sandwich to
connect people and to be the catalyst to allow that to take place.
This isn't about us coming in to save the day. It's about giving
those who are already doing it a platform to share their
stories."
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 revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands
include SKIPPY®, SPAM®, Hormel®
Natural Choice®, Applegate®,
Justin's®, Wholly®, Hormel® Black
Label®, Columbus®, Happy Little
Plants® 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 on the "Global 2000 World's Best
Employers" list by Forbes magazine
for three straight years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired
companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "The
100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for 12 years in a row, and has
received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate
responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by
its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ —
to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to
tables across the globe. For more information, visit
www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.
About USO Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore
Dedicated to "serving those who serve, and their families" in
Washington D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia, USO of Metropolitan
Washington-Baltimore (USO-Metro) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3)
organization chartered by Congress and trusted by the community
since 1941. USO-Metro consistently earns the highest rating on
Charity Navigator for outperforming most charities in its cause and
exceeding industry standards. As a non-government-funded
organization, it is only through the generous financial, in-kind
and volunteer support of individuals and corporate partners that
USO-Metro is able to succeed in its mission: to strengthen
America's military service members by keeping them connected to
family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation.
USO-Metro constantly adapts its programs and services at area
military hospitals, through its Mobile USO, six USO Centers and
four USO airport lounges to meet the needs of our military.
Signature programs and services include holiday programs, career
transition programs, and caring for our wounded, ill and injured
troops and their caregivers.
Designate CFC #63343 or United Way National Capital Area #8202
to contribute.
For more information or to get involved, please visit
www.usometro.org or connect online @USOMetroDC
Contact:
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Theresa
Myers
|
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507-434-6352
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media@hormel.com
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SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation