Cub Donates Hams and Turkeys to Second Harvest Heartland

Minnesota’s hometown grocer Cub donated more than 6,420 hams and turkeys valued at $148,000 to Second Harvest Heartland, enough for more than 64,000 meals this holiday season. 

The first donation of 420 cases of Hormel hams—3,780 hams to be exact, weighing in at approximately 13,000 pounds—was loaded onto trucks on Dec. 19, in the parking lot of the newly opened Cub Blaine West store. The hams traveled to Second Harvest Heartland for distribution to local families through the food bank’s network of agency partners in time for holiday and New Year’s meals. During the truck loading, free ham sandwiches were provided to people who stopped in the store.

A truck containing $108,000 of Essential Everyday brand turkeys, weighing in at almost 64,000 pounds, was shipped directly to Second Harvest Heartland. This donation was made possible through the generosity of Cub customers who participated in Cub’s “Thanks for Giving” campaign, which ran from Nov. 13-28. The campaign gave customers the chance to add $1, $3 or $5 to their checkout total, with all funds raised going to provide turkeys to families in need during the holiday season.

“No one should go hungry during the holidays. Protein in the form of meat and poultry is one of the most expensive items for families who are trying to make ends meet. It’s also important for a nutritious diet, especially for growing children,” says Rob Zeaske, CEO of Second Harvest Heartland. “We’re extremely grateful to Cub, Hormel Foods and Cub customers for these incredibly generous donations. Many families in our area will now have a brighter holiday.”

“Our intent is not only to help put food on the table for our neighbors who are hungry, but to make their family celebrations more complete. We thank our customers and our friends at Hormel Foods for working with us to make this donation possible and help more families enjoy this holiday season,” says Eric Hymas, president of Cub.