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The Makers of the SPAM® Brand Team Up with Operation Gratitude and Veteran Sunny Anderson to Highlight the Return of the SPAMERICAN™ Food Truck Tour

2016 SPAMerican Tour
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April 19, 2016

Austin, Minn.

The Makers of the SPAM® brand are taking their gratitude on the road with the return of the popular SPAMERICAN™ Tour, thanking all of the chefs, fanatic fans and military for 79 years of support.

Back for another coast-to-coast culinary journey, this year the brand is partnering with Operation Gratitude to bring their letter writing campaign into 16 communities, and supporting its goal of sending the 2 Millionth Care Package in 2018- by pledging a $1 donation for every letter written in-market and online at SPAM.com. Each letter will be included in a care package, assembled by volunteers, and sent to troops deployed overseas, as well as to new recruits, veterans and first-responders here at home.

Food Network Host and US Air Force veteran Sunny Anderson is once again joining the tour, supporting the Operation Gratitude cause and showcasing her new recipe: Operation SPAM® Gravy with Biscuits. Following the launch in New York at the Tribeca Film Festival, the SPAMERICAN™ truck will stop at military bases and popular community events in San Francisco, Dallas, Nashville, Chicago and more.

“We’re honored to partner with Operation Gratitude for the return of the SPAMERICAN™ Tour,” said Jennifer L. Nolander, SPAM® Brand Manager. “The SPAM®brand has a long tradition of supporting our nation’s military at home and abroad beginning with World War II, and we are honored to bring aboard a veteran like Sunny Anderson to help Operation Gratitude achieve its mission by providing an easy way for communities to give back to those who proudly serve us every day.”

“Each year, Operation Gratitude sends over 200,000 Care Packages to our nation’s heroes, and out of all of the items included in these packages, among the most cherished are the hand-written notes and letters,” said Emily Rich, Director of National Development. “By working with the SPAM® brand, we have the chance to bring our letter-writing campaign to communities across the country.”

Along the tour, communities will be treated to complimentary, on-trend recipe samples created by local chefs, including the “Father of Southern Cuisine” Dean Fearing, James Beard pastry chef Gale Gand and noted TV chef Chris Kyler. Anderson’s dish will be served across the country alongside other unique dishes, including Cinnamon Crusted SPAM® Waffles with Apricot Jam Drizzle, Barbeque SPAM® Jalapeno Tacos with Pineapple Salsa and SPAM® Bánh mì.

“As a host and passionate foodie who likes to experiment with taste and flavor, I’ve long been a fan of the creative possibilities that come from working with SPAM®products. My recipe, Operation SPAM® Gravy with Biscuits, was inspired by my southern heritage and military brat roots, and I think it really captures the spirit of this year’s SPAMERICAN™ Tour,” said Sunny Anderson. “As an Air Force veteran, it means a lot to team up with Operation Gratitude’s mission, offering thousands of people the opportunity to send notes of support and appreciation to the brave men and women who serve our country.”

SPAMERICAN™ Tour Schedule:

New York, N.Y. April 23 – Tribeca Film Festival

San Diego, Calif. April 29- May 3 – Stagecoach Music Festival

San Francisco, Calif. May 9 – Travis Air Force Base and Lucky® – Daly City, California

Denver, Colo. May 14 – Big Wonderful

Dallas, Texas May 19-22 – Wildflower Arts and Music Festival

San Antonio, Texas – Lackland Air Force Base

Baton Rouge, La. May 27-29 – Bayou Superfest

Nashville, Tenn. June 6-12 – Fort Campbell and CMA Festival

Raleigh, N.C. June 16-18 – Peak City Pig Fest

Norfolk, Va. June 24-26 – Norfolk Navy and Bayoo Boogaloo Cajun Festival

Columbus, Ohio July 1-3 – Red, White and Boom

Indianapolis, Ind. July 6-10 – Three Rivers Festival

Chicago, Ill. July 15-17 – Windy City Smokeout

Twin Lakes, Wis. July 21-24 – Country Thunder

Austin, Minn. July 28-29 – Hormel Foods 125th Anniversary

Minneapolis, Minn. August 1-8 – Uptown Art Fair

Chef Partnerships and Recipes:

National – Sunny Anderson, Food Network Host and US Air Force Veteran

• Operation SPAM®Gravy with Biscuits

San Diego – Alex Carballo, Moto Deli

• Barbeque SPAM® Jalapeno Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Denver – Tyler Wiard, Elway’s Cherry Creek

• Crispy SPAM® Al Pastor Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa and Pickled Onion Slaw

Dallas – Dean Fearing, The Mansion At Turtle Creek, Fearing’s

• SPAM® Corn Dogs

Nashville – Nathan Flynt, Two Sons Kitchen and Market

• SPAM® Bánh mì

Norfolk – Chris Kyler, Kyler’s A+ Catering

• Cajun Boudin Balls “SPAM® Style”

Chicago – Gale Gand, Spritzbuger

• Cinnamon Crusted SPAM® Waffles with Apricot Jam Drizzle

Minneapolis – Russell Klein, Meritage

• SPAM® Madame – Hot SPAM® Classic & Cheese with a Fried Egg and Mornay Sauce

For more information about the SPAMERICAN™ Tour schedule and stops, please check out www.SPAM.com/tour, and join in the #SPAMCan conversation at www.facebook.com/spambrand, www.youtube.com/spambrand, www.twitter.com/SPAMbrand or @SPAMBrand on Instragram. For more information about Sunny Anderson’s signature SPAMERICAN™ dish, check out the full recipe at www.SPAM.com/tour.

About Hormel Foods

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products, many of which are among the best known and trusted in the food industry. Hormel Foods, which leverages its extensive expertise, innovation and high competencies in pork and turkey processing and marketing to bring branded, value-added products to the global marketplace, will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2016. The company is a member of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index, S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, and was named one of “The 100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for the seventh year in a row. Hormel Foods also received a perfect score on the 2016 Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, was recognized on the 2016 Best for Vets Employers List by Military Times, and was named one of the 2016 Best Companies for Leaders by Chief Executive Magazine. The company enjoys a strong reputation among consumers, retail grocers, foodservice and industrial customers for products highly regarded for quality, taste, nutrition, convenience and value. For more information, visit http://www.hormelfoods.com and http://2014csr.hormelfoods.com/.

About Operation Gratitude

Operation Gratitude annually sends 200,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment, hygiene and hand-made items, plus personal letters of appreciation to New Recruits, Veterans, First Responders, Wounded Warriors, Caregivers and individually-named U.S. Service Members deployed overseas. Their mission is to lift the spirits and meet the evolving needs of our Active Duty, Veteran, and First Responder communities, and to provide volunteer opportunities for Americans to express their appreciation to all who serve. Each package contains donated product valued at $50-100 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 1.5 million care packages. For more information, visit www.operationgratitude.com

About Sunny Anderson

Sunny Anderson is a Food Network host and author of a New York Times Best Seller who has been a long-time SPAM® brand fan. While growing up traveling the world, Sunny’s parents encouraged her to indulge in the local cuisine, which she continued to do after beginning her career as a radio broadcaster and journalist in the Air Force. Her cooking style combines classic comfort foods along with unique flavors inspired by her many travels. Serving as ambassador for the second year of the SPAMERICAN™ Tour, Sunny has created two unique recipes for the Chef-curated Food Truck menu – Coconut SPAM®Spears with Spicy Pineapple Chutney and Operation SPAM®Gravy with Biscuits.