Eckrich, Operation Homefront and Randalls Team Up to Honor Military Family

LISLE, Ill., May 24, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with Randalls and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to honor a Cypress, Texas military family on Tuesday.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f2d0f2ca-c227-4716-8d2f-3bfc8e1716ad

Eckrich hosted a special presentation outside a Randalls store in Houston to honor, thank and support the Wright family.  The family was surprised with a gift of free groceries for one year at Randalls, courtesy of Eckrich. 

As part of the event, crowds of shoppers were treated to samples of delicious Eckrich smoked sausage and deli meat, live country music and an appearance by Houston Country radio station 92.9.  In addition, Eckrich provided local military service members and their families with $25 Randalls gift cards to thank them for their service.

Nathan Wright joined the Army in 2006 and served for five years. He was deployed to Afghanistan for 15 months as a specialist. His wife, Jessica, is a member of Operation Homefront's Hearts of Valor program. The couple lives in Cypress, Texas.

"I'd really like to thank Eckrich, Operation Homefront and Randalls for their support for military families and for the free groceries," said Jessica Wright. "It's humbling to be recognized like this and it touches our hearts."

The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront.  The Wright family is supported by Operation Homefront's Hearts of Valor^® program, a network of caregivers for wounded, ill or injured service members.  Operation Homefront supports these caregivers through annual retreats, support groups and online communities.

Eckrich, a brand of Smithfield Foods, entering its fifth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has donated more than $2 million to the organization since 2012. Now through July 4^th, Eckrich is donating 5 cents for every purchase of specially marked products, up to $500,000, to Operation Homefront to assist military families.

"Eckrich continues to thank, support and honor our military families across the country," said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. "We appreciate Randalls' partnership in this event.  We thank the Wright family for their service and are proud to present them with one year of free groceries."

For more information about Eckrich, please visit www.eckrich.com.

About Eckrich 
Founded by Peter Eckrich in 1894, Eckrich has a rich heritage starting from a small meat market in Fort Wayne, Ind. Through it all, Eckrich meats have been recognized for their great taste and supreme quality, craftsmanship, care and pride. For more information, visit www.eckrich.com.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan's Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, John Morrell®, Gwaltney®, Kretschmar®, Margherita®, Curly's®, Carando® and Healthy Ones®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.

About Operation Homefront
A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront builds strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.  With more than 3,200 volunteers nationwide, Operation Homefront has provided assistance to tens of thousands of military families its inception shortly after 9/11. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of Operation Homefront's expenditures go directly to programs that provide support to our military families. For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.net.