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The Project SPAMMY® Experience

Kelly Braaten | December 13, 2018

Impact

As told by Frank Kubesh

In June, I traveled to Guatemala for the first time. The company’s Project SPAMMY® employee engagement trips had sounded interesting to me for some time, and I had heard great things from others who had gone on such trips. I decided to go, as I felt it would be a great opportunity to do some social good while spending time with my daughter, Karla, who is a college student.

Project Spammy

Karla interacts with Project SPAMMY® participants.

I’d like to share about my experience on the trip and what I learned along the way.

Monday

My daughter and I flew from Minneapolis and met the other trip participants and the Food For The Poor representative, Leann, in Miami to catch our flight to Guatemala. When we arrived in Guatemala, we were greeted by several Caritas representatives (one of the company’s in-country partners), and we traveled to our hotel. We had dinner as a group that evening and had the chance to learn more about each other. Tired from traveling and knowing that we were meeting early the next day to begin our adventure, we went to bed early.

Thursday

We started the day by visiting the Centro Vocacional San Jose school, where we met several boys who are the recipients of the company’s scholarships. Once again, it was touching to meet them and learn about their aspirations and plans. We then went to a vocational center for women who are learning how to make various arts and crafts to sell. We were each paired up with someone, and we made a craft together. My partner had made an additional craft prior to our arrival and proudly presented it to me as a gift before we departed.

After a bus ride to the historic city of Antigua, we served a hot meal to over 100 men. Upon returning to the hotel, we had dinner as a group at a restaurant and shared our final thoughts/reflections.

Experiencing firsthand the commitment Hormel Foods has made and the difference Project SPAMMY® is making for so many people makes me extremely proud to be part of the company.

Frank Kubesh

Friday

We were up bright and early Friday (4 a.m.) to catch our bus to the airport. It was nice spending some final time in the airport with everyone before our flight to Miami.

Some of the biggest takeaways I have from this trip are to be grateful for what I have, and that Project SPAMMY® is definitely making a difference in the lives of others. I enjoyed sharing this experience with my daughter and would encourage any employee who is interested in going to do it. The necklace I received at the girls’ home hangs prominently in the room where my family eats most of our meals and reminds me of the lives we touched that week. The trip was truly a life-changing opportunity. Experiencing firsthand the commitment Hormel Foods has made and the difference Project SPAMMY® is making for so many people makes me extremely proud to be part of the company.

This article was featured in Issue VII of Inside Hormel Foods magazine. Click here to explore these unique collections of thought-provoking and heartwarming stories, recipes and features on our employees and the different areas of our company, all packaged up in a beautifully designed digital viewer for you.