LISLE, Ill., Jan. 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, and ESPN College GameDay Analyst Kirk Herbstreit took center stage Monday afternoon before the College Football Playoff National Championship to make a sizable donation to a noble cause.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/817b84ba-127b-4e59-8bbe-f82e77201922
The former college quarterback had only one chance to complete a 25-yard throw through a target to win a $1 million donation for Operation Homefront, a top-rated, national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families. Herbstreit made the attempt live on ESPN’s College Football Live. While Herbstreit barely missed the target in his attempt for $1 million, Eckrich surprised Operation Homefront with a generous donation of $25,000.
“I’m proud and humbled to continue to support the partnership between Eckrich and Operation Homefront,” said Herbstreit. “Eckrich has been giving back to military families for many years and we are continuing this support today through this $25,000 donation to Operation Homefront.”
Herbstreit, an Eckrich partner since 2008, supports the Eckrich mission to honor, thank, and support military families through its ongoing partnership with Operation Homefront.
“We are extremely pleased to conclude the Eckrich Road to the National Championship sweepstakes by celebrating this special partnership with Kirk Herbstreit and Operation Homefront,” said Jennifer Zmrhal, Smithfield Foods senior director of marketing. “Eckrich is proud to be part of the College Football Playoff National Championship and to have another opportunity to give back to Operation Homefront and our military families.”
Eckrich is completing its first year as the Official Smoked Sausage and Deli Meat sponsor of the College Football Playoff. As part of the year-long partnership, the brand launched the Road to the National Championship sweepstakes in the summer of 2016. Fourteen lucky fans won the opportunity to throw for $1 million at some of the biggest college football games of the year, including during the pre-game festivities prior to the National Championship Game.
The brand promoted the sweepstakes through experiential marketing, public relations, and special-edition packaging on select Eckrich products.
Eckrich also donated more than $150,000 in free groceries to Operation Homefront military families throughout the college football season. The brand has donated more than $2.5 million to Operation Homefront since 2012.
Eckrich is a brand of Smithfield Foods.
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.