LISLE, Ill., May 23, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with Jewel-Osco and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to honor a Tinley Park, Ill. military family on Saturday night. Joining them for this surprise event was platinum-selling country music star, Randy Houser.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f88736cf-94c5-42dc-ab1d-cbdeff1b22a8
Houser invited the Zmysly family backstage before his performance at Hollywood Casino Amphitheater and surprised them with a gift of $5,000 in free groceries at Jewel-Osco, courtesy of Eckrich. The family then watched Houser perform in Chicago.
Together, Eckrich and Houser have partnered to honor U.S. military families since 2014. Houser is known for hits including his four No. 1 singles “How Country Feels,” “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight,” “Goodnight Kiss” and “We Went” as well as the Top 5 smash “Like A Cowboy.” He recently released his fourth studio album, Fired Up, via Stoney Creek Records. The 17-song project follows Houser’s breakthrough album, How Country Feels, and features his latest No. 1 hit “We Went” and current single, “Song Number 7.”
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to team up with Eckrich to give back to our military families,” said Houser. “It’s great to see them before the concert and surprise them with free groceries. They get pretty excited and it’s humbling to honor and thank them for their sacrifices.”
Yuriy Zmysly served as a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps. He was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. His wife, Aimee, and his brother, Andry, are his full-time caregivers. The couple has a two-year-old daughter.
“This was an amazing night and we really want to thank Eckrich, Jewel-Osco and Randy Houser for this wonderful experience,” said Aimee Zmysly. “Operation Homefront is a great organization and they have been a great help to our family. We just want to thank everyone for tonight’s gift.”
The event is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. The Zmysly 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, in its fifth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has donated more than $2 million to the organization since 2012. Now through July 4th, Eckrich is donating 5 cents for every purchase of specially marked products, up to $500,000, to Operation Homefront to assist military families.
“Randy Houser has been committed in helping us honor military families across the country,” said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “We appreciate his partnership and support for military families. We also appreciate Jewel-Osco for partnering with us as we give a special thanks to the Zmysly family for their sacrifice. We hope they enjoy $5,000 in 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 Jewel-Osco
Established in 1899, Jewel-Osco, owned by New Albertsons, Inc., is becoming the favorite food and drug retailer in every market throughout the Chicagoland area. They operate 185 stores in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, employing 31,000 associates while continuing to grow. Find more company information at JewelOsco.com and follow their social channels at Facebook.com/JewelOsco, Twitter.com/JewelOsco, and YouTube.com/JewelOsco.
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 leads more than 2,500 volunteers with nationwide presence who provide emergency and other financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Operation Homefront has provided assistance to thousands of military families since its inception in 2002. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity watchdog groups, nationally, 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.
About Randy Houser
With an inimitable voice the New York Times describes as “wholly different, thicker and more throbbing, a caldron bubbling over,” Randy Houser racked up three consecutive No. 1 hits and more than four million in singles sales to date with his Stoney Creek Records album, How Country Feels. He topped the charts with the title track, “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight” and “Goodnight Kiss” (also his first No. 1 as a songwriter) and earned critical acclaim for his powerful delivery of the Top 5 smash and CMA Song of the Year-nominated "Like A Cowboy." Houser added a fourth No. 1 to his catalogue with “We Went,” the lead single from his new album, Fired Up, and its second single “Song Number 7” is currently available at country radio and digital retailers. He is currently on the Somewhere On a Beach Tour with Dierks Bentley. For more information, visit www.RandyHouser.com or follow on Twitter @RandyHouser and www.Facebook.com/RandyHouser.