The reactions were mixed as motorists passed the picketers: honking horns, flashing middle fingers and just people slowing down to observe.

Members of the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction demonstrated with signs Tuesday afternoon outside the Spam Museum in Austin, where trustees of the Blandin Foundation were meeting with local graduates of its leadership-building retreats.

The demonstrators believe the Grand Rapids, Minn.-based private foundation, which awards grants to rural communities and provides leadership development, has aided the influx of immigrants by allegedly donating to the Welcome Center.

MCFIR founder Paul Westrum, of Albert Lea, claims the Welcome Center is “the cancer that’s killing Austin.”

“The Blandin Foundation is one of the biggest ones responsible for what is going on in the community,” Westrum believes. “A lot of people who used to live here don’t want to be here anymore.

“If George Hormel knew what was going on today, he would be ashamed of it,” he said of the plant’s hiring of immigrants, most of who Westrum claims are illegal.

Westrum and MCFIR held an immigration forum Thursday that focused on the foundation and its alleged contributions to the Welcome Center as well as Apex Austin, an entity that helped jump-start the non-profit in 2000.

A Blandin Foundation official confirmed Wednesday morning they have never donated to the Welcome Center or Apex Austin.

“We have given no money to Apex Austin or the Welcome Center,” said Allison Ahcan, director of communications. “However, we think what they’ve done there is wonderful.

“The Blandin Foundation believes that healthy communities are grounded in part by inclusiveness,” Ahcan explained

She said the only local grants given have been $250,000 to the Southern Minnesota Initiative and $50,000 to Childcare Resources and Referral, both for flood recovery; and $50,000 to Southern Minnesota Quality Broadcasting to promote the “Cities on the Move” series.

Austin has sent 113 community members to Blandin leadership-building retreats.

Westrum said the focus of MCFIR, which has grown to 32 chapters statewide, is to “educate people.”

“If you don’t like it, do something about it,” he said of illegal immigration. “The American way is to belly-ache.”