Hormel Foods Corp. is lending Japan a hand.

Richard Bross, President of Hormel Foods International Corp., announced Friday at a press conference that the company will donate Spam products and up to $50,000 in an employee-matched fund to help with relief efforts in Japan.

“It’s unbelievable what’s happening over there,” Bross said of the devastation that followed the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. “Our hearts and souls go out to them.”

Bross said it’s hard to watch the disaster unfold.

“We’ve been in the Japan market for a very long time,” he said. “What’s unnerving is this saga continues to go on and on and on.”

Bross said Hormel is working through relief organizations and will take the advice of the Japanese government on what to do with any monetary contributions. He said the money most likely will go towards basic supplies such as water and blankets, and the donation of Spam products will be made in conjunction with Hormel’s mainland Japanese partner, Itochu Corp.

“(Spam is) a perfect product any time, but it’s a really perfect product for this kind of situation,” he said. “The nice thing about it is that Spam really fits the Japanese culture and fits the lifestyle and their eating habits. They love it. So hopefully it can make them happy and give them a little bit of joy during the tough stuff they’re going through.”

In Japan, the Spam classic label has a recipe for Spam musubi, a popular snack consisting of a block of rice and grilled Spam in a seaweed wrap.

The contribution comes a week after Hormel announced it jumped 10 spots to 30th in Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s “100 Best Corporate Citizens List,” which gauges a company’s accountability in areas such as environment, climate change, human rights, philanthropy, employee relations, financial and government.

“Hormel has always been a good corporate citizen,” Bross said. “I’m glad that Hormel is moving up in the ranks.”

Hormel chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer Jeffrey Ettinger also expressed his condolences for the people of Japan in a statement Thursday.

“Our employees are saddened by the devastation in Japan and are eager to help,” Ettinger said. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the disaster and the relief volunteers and organizations.”