As temperatures hovered near 1 degree with wind chills of minus 10 at 2 p.m. Thursday, Hormel Foods Corp. Austin Plant workers wheeled carts and carried bags filled with toys out to an Austin Salvation Army truck.

As they waited to roll a cart of toys onto the truck, Hormel employees Kim Baier and Becky Rector couldn’t help but sing the title lines of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and share a laugh.

Hormel’s Austin Plant and Corporate Office workers donated more than $5,100 worth of toys to the Austin Salvation Army’s annual toy drive this year.

“This is the fun part of our jobs each year,” said Clint Walters, plant manager at the Austin Plant.

The plant raised about $3,300 through jean days, bake sales and by collecting money from the plant’s roughly 1,800 employees.

“Truly all 1,800 people in the plant get involved,” Walters said. “We try to raise money through the donations in every department in the plant.”

Then the committee leaders and some plant employees went shopping for toys at Shopko, where they get a discount.

Thanks to about $1,800 in discounts, Hormel’s Helping Hands committee and plant workers spent more than $3,300 to buy more than $5,100 worth of toys.

Hormel also donated an additional $425 in checks to the Salvation Army.

The plant wasn’t alone. More than 20 departments at the Corporate Office locations also collected money and toys at the North, South and Research and Development campuses and purchased hundreds of gifts based on 150 angel tags from the Salvation Army.

“Hormel Foods and its employees care about the community,” said Debra Wurst, senior product scientist at Hormel Foods and member of the company’s Community Outreach and Philanthropy Committee, in a press release. “We hope this helps our friends and neighbors in need during the holidays.”

Hormel also gives back to the United Way of Mower County’s annual campaign, it donates hams to the Salvation Army for Feed-A-Family and to a veterans group.