With the Maui wildfire disaster having left the island's people in dire straits, Spam and its parent company, Hormel Foods, are working to provide relief to victims.
On Aug. 17, Spam and Hormel Foods announced their combined donation of cash and product to aid the disaster-relief efforts. According to a press release, their donation includes over 264,000 cans, which, along with cash, has a retail value of more than $1 million.
Spam has also created a T-shirt and has pledged that 100% of its proceeds will be donated to Aloha United Way’s Maui Fire Relief Fund. The T-shirts are available for purchase on the company website and feature a “Spam Brand Loves Maui” design.
Members of the Hormel Foods team are also putting forth an effort to raise money to donate to the local area food bank. Hormel Foods said it would match the money raised.
“The people of Hawaii have a special place in both the history and heart of the Spam brand. Our donation efforts are just one way we are showing the community our love and support back,” Jennesa Kinscher, a senior brand manager for Spam, said in a company statement.
The donated product will be delivered by the nonprofit Convoy of Hope, which aims to aid people affected by natural disasters and food insecurity.
“The Spam brand has long cherished its special relationship with the Hawaiian people, a community that consumes more than 7 million cans of Spam products every year, more than any other U.S. state,” the brand commented in its press release, noting that roots of its product's popularity in Hawaii go back to World War II, when the luncheon meat was served to GIs. “By the end of the war, Spam products were a part of the local culture and today remain a popular comfort food.”
Spam also announced its donation effort in posts shared on social media.
“Our heart continues to be with our ‘ohana on Maui,” Spam wrote in its posts, adding, “We have sent multiple truckloads of Spam product to the people of Maui, and hope this can provide a sense of comfort during difficult times.”
Spam was invented in 1937 by Hormel Foods, made of pork, water, salt, sugar and sodium nitrate. During World War II, more than 100 million pounds of Spam were shipped abroad to feed troops, according to the company’s website.
In a 2021 interview with TODAY Food, food historian Rachel Laudan explained that the item became a wartime necessity during World War II. Offshore fishing was a perceived security threat at the time, and access became highly restricted. Troops who occupied the area used Spam, and its popularity spread to Hawaii's residents.
