Spam donates 5 truckloads of beloved canned meat in response to Maui fire

The makers of Spam, saying that their “special relationship with the Hawaiian community spans decades,” have donated over 264,000 cans to aid the disaster-relief efforts on Maui, the company said in a press release.

“Three truckloads of Spam products are on their way to the impacted areas with two more trucks following,” Hormel Foods, the company that owns Spam, said. “In all, the Spam brand has donated cash and product with a retail value of more than $1,000,000 to directly help those impacted by the wildfires.”

The company said it has partnered with nonprofit group Convoy of Hope to get the cans to where they are needed most.

“The fact that Spam doesn’t need refrigeration makes it a perfect item for Convoy to deliver to survivors,” Stacy Lamb, vice president, disaster services at Convoy of Hope, is quoted as saying in the press release.

More Spam is consumed per person in Hawaii than in any other state. It’s stacked on a block of rice and wrapped in seaweed to make Spam musubi, and sold at fast-food chains like McDonald’s in Hawaii. There’s even an annual Waikiki Spam Jam festival.

Hormel Foods said it has also developed a “Spam Brand loves Maui” t-shirt, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Aloha United Way’s Maui Fire Relief Fund.

Spam was first introduced to Asia-Pacific during World War II, a welcome substitute to meat that was increasingly becoming unaffordable or simply unavailable in the conflict-wracked region.