LISLE, Ill., June 23, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, teamed up with Walmart and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to honor a Sykesville, Md. military family on Thursday.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c7360ece-bb29-43f0-bda1-051ae85bdfd5
Eckrich hosted a special presentation outside a Walmart Supercenter in Hagerstown, Md. to honor, thank and support the Turner family. The family was surprised with a gift of free groceries for one year at Walmart, courtesy of Eckrich. Since launching its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment in 2013, Walmart has hired more than 130,000 new U.S. veteran associates and promoted more than 15,000 associates who are military veterans.
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 Hagerstown Country radio station 104.7. In addition, Eckrich provided local military service members and their families with $25 Walmart gift cards to thank them for their service.
Daniel Turner served in the United States Marine Corps as an Infantryman for four years. He earned eight medals and numerous service and campaign ribbons for his combined four tours of duty. His wife, Ana, is his full-time caregiver and a member of Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor program. The family has four children.
“We’re amazed and blessed that Eckrich, Walmart and Operation Homefront did this for us,” said Daniel Turner. “A year of free groceries is a tremendous amount of help. We will never forget this day.”
The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. The Turner 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 4th, 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 Walmart’s partnership and we are proud to present the Turner family with one year of free groceries.”
For more information about Eckrich, please visit www.eckrich.com or follow Eckrich on Facebook and Twitter.
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 since 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.