LISLE, Ill., July 22, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with Festival Foods and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable and secure military families, to honor a Wisconsin military family on Thursday.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/90768407-bc93-4b96-94a1-81e31a912ac7
Eckrich hosted a surprise grocery giveaway inside a Festival Foods store in Janesville, Wis., to honor, thank and support the VanBrocklin family. As the family checked out at the register, they were surprised with a gift of $5,000 in free groceries at Festival Foods, courtesy of Eckrich.
Jon VanBrocklin served as a cavalry scout and infantryman from 2005 to 2014 in the United States Army. He also served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. His wife, Jami, is his caregiver. They have two children, Jasmine and Ronin.
“We are grateful for this special gift from Eckrich and Festival Foods,” said Jami VanBrocklin. “Eckrich’s support for military families is inspiring and we would like to thank them for their support.”
The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. The VanBrocklin family is supported by Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor® program, a network of people caring for wounded, ill or injured service members.
Eckrich, a brand of Smithfield Foods, in its fifth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has donated more than $2.5 million to the organization since 2012.
“Eckrich is proud to honor our military families throughout the country,” said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “We thank the VanBrocklin family for their sacrifice and are proud to partner with Festival Foods to present them with $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 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 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.