LISLE, Ill., July 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with Food Lion and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to honor a Charlotte military family on Thursday night.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f2fcd4d6-ca13-46ee-b401-76d5dec6c32f
Joining them for the surprise event was a special guest, platinum-selling country music star Randy Houser. Eckrich and Houser invited the Stead family backstage before his performance and surprised them with a gift of $5,000 in free groceries at Food Lion.
Together, Eckrich and Houser have partnered to honor U.S. military families since 2014. Houser is known for top 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 upcoming new single, “Chasing Down a Good Time.”
“It was an honor to meet the Stead family and present them with a check for $5,000 in free groceries,” said Houser. “I’m proud to show my support for this cause. This is something really great that Eckrich is doing across the country for the military families who have sacrificed for us.”
Adam Stead served honorably for nine years in the Army as a helicopter pilot. He has also served overseas and completed a tour in Afghanistan in 2009. Adam and his wife Carrie have two children. Carrie is a member of Hearts of Valor and is also the care director of the Independence Fund.
"What an amazing gift," said Stead. "This is going to help our family immensely. I want to say 'thanks' to Eckrich, Operation Homefront and Food Lion for supporting military families."
The event is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. The Stead family is supported by Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor® program, a network of nearly 3,000 caregivers for wounded, ill or injured service members. Operation Homefront supports these caregivers through annual retreats, support groups and online communities.
Eckrich, in its fifth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has donated more than $2.5 million to the organization since 2012.
“Randy Houser has been a great partner of Eckrich and our campaign to support military families,” said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “We appreciate and thank the Stead family for their sacrifice. We hope they enjoy the $5,000 in free groceries at Food Lion.”
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®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Kretschmar®, Gwaltney®, Curly's®, Margherita®, Carando®, Healthy Ones®, Krakus®, Morliny®, and Berlinki®. 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. For more information, visit www.RandyHouser.com or follow on Twitter @RandyHouser and www.Facebook.com/RandyHouser.