GOProud Gives Out Twinkies for Donations

Americans across the country were shocked last week when officials from Hostess Inc. said that the company was filing for bankruptcy and planned on closing its doors forever. But the announcement didn't stop the conservative gay group GOProud from quickly capitalizing on the Twinkie-maker's demise.

According to BuzzFeed, just hours after Hostess said it filed for Chapter 11, GOProud sent out a press release in which it offered the iconic junk food to individuals who donated at least $50 to the group between now and the end of the month.

"You know that our staff at GOProud works every day to promote free-market principles and freedom for everyone," the release reads. "You may not know about our special emergency response squad. This morning when the news broke, they sprung [sic] into action and secured a supply of the coveted snack cakes. We now have a stash of Twinkies in the GOProud vault. You have a chance to take advantage of our quick response to this crisis."

The Washington Examiner confirmed the bizarre offer. The organization's founder, Jimmy LaSalvia, said the release was meant to be a "light-hearted" but in fact some people did actually donate.

"We lucked out and found some of the last Twinkies ever made for sale on Amazon," LaSalvia told the Examiner.

Additionally, GOProud's email blames Hostess' union organizing for the company's collapse (with a side shout out to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whom the right hates for what they call his "nanny state" banning of 32-ounce sodas). "At first we thought that Michael Bloomberg was behind this latest attack on snack food, but no. THIS TIME IT WAS THE UNIONS!"

But as the Wall Street Journal points out, the 82-year-old company will be shutting down its plants because it is a "victim of changing consumer tastes, high commodity costs and, most importantly, strained labor relations." In addition, many blame a corporate buyout that, they say, resulted in excessive executive compensation that essentially stripped the company of working capital when it was most needed.

GOProud did note in passing that the American company's demise will also impact thousands of employees who will lose their jobs. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families affected by this travesty," the statement read.

GOProud isn't alone when it capitalized on Hostess going under. The Associated Press notes that just hours after the bankruptcy announcement, opportunists headed to the supermarkets to purchase Hostess products, such as Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, and Zingers, in order to sell them on eBay and Craigslist for a much higher price.

Texas resident Greg Edmonds told the AP that he bought 16 boxes of Twinkies and Ding Dongs and started selling the sweet treats online last weekend. Each box is priced at a whopping $300. "I could really use the extra money since I'm unemployed," Edmonds, 50, said. "I figure I better sell them pretty quickly because I am not sure how long this novelty is going to last." Fortunately for him, the snack food has been shown to be nearly eternal thanks to additives.