AUSTIN, Minn. - On Monday, the Hormel Foundation announced they're giving $8.4 million to various organizations in the community in 2019.

This all started back in 1941, when Hormel Foods Corporation founder George A. Hormel and his son, Jay C. Hormel, established the foundation.

The money is divided between more than a dozen organizations.

"We have wonderful, talented people involved both on a volunteer basis and running the organizations," Jeff Ettinger, the Hormel Foundation Chairman, said. "Hopefully these funds are certainly a shot in the arm and enable them to really reach more people by virtue of the support we're able to provide."

The YMCA of Austin is one of several recipients.

Most of the grant money given to the Y goes to their youth membership program.

"This YMCA has more youth members than any other YMCA I've ever seen," Tedd Maxfield, the executive director of the YMCA of Austin, said.

Maxfield tells KIMT the youth membership program is based on the family's income, so a kid's membership could be as low as $1. He said the Y serves more than 2,500 kids in the community.

Ettinger hopes the foundation's ability to offer the donations is keeping in line with the vision George and Jay Hormel had when they set it up. A vision that helps support the many organizations in the community that support its people.

"All of us - the school district, the Hormel Institute, Riverland Community College, and so many agencies - are able to make Austin a better place because of the support of the foundation," Maxfield said.

In addition to the organizations, some of the grant money goes to scholarships.