Employees’ $142K check is more than 10% of United Way’s goal

The employees at the Hormel Foods Corp. plant have again outdone themselves.

Several Hormel employees, along with Plant Manager Tim Fritz, presented a $142,262 check to the United Way on Wednesday. That amount surpasses last year’s check for $141,000 and 2010’s donation of $132,990.

“Every year the employees here in the Austin plant continue to give, and we sure appreciate that,” said Chris Grev, United Way of Mower County’s marketing and communication director.

Fritz thanked the more than 1,750 Hormel employees who donated to the cause, which raised more than 10 percent of the United Way’s current campaign goal of $1.2 million. Fritz said each year the campaign team at Hormel raises the bar a little more. Yet employees didn’t know until Tuesday that they had indeed passed their goal … again.

“This is an outstanding workplace campaign,” said Mandi Lighthizer-Schmidt, United Way of Mower County executive director. “Hormel Foods has always been a great community supporter. Hormel plant’s campaign chair Ryan Cline and his team did an amazing job out of the goodness of their hearts, and the generosity of Hormel employees will go a long way in helping those in need in Mower County.”

The United Way campaign began Sept. 11, and the group announced two weeks ago it had raised $445,300, or 40.5 percent of its goal. The campaign publicly runs until Dec. 15, although many campaigns wrap up in January and February 2013. In 2011 the United Way had a record setting year, raising $1.03 million.