ST. LOUIS, April 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nathan’s Famous, the Official Hot Dog of Major League Baseball (MLB), and of the St. Louis Cardinals, helped spread the joy of baseball yesterday when the brand delivered special gifts to the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club and their families.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b76de1e5-5333-4e26-90d5-35042cffbd3d

A youth-serving organization, the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club offers direct-service programming to 3,000 children and indirect programming to more than 10,000 in athletics, education, arts, healthy living, leadership, and professional development annually.

Nathan’s Famous invited youth members to enjoy the games and activities of its Coney Island-themed mobile unit during a day of fun at the Club. During a special presentation, the iconic hot dog brand gave the children and their families free tickets to an upcoming St. Louis Cardinals game, and provided the Club with free hot dogs for a year along with a $1,000 gift card to Schnucks.

These gifts from Nathan’s will help the Club fulfill its mission of producing well-educated, physically active and hopeful scholar-athletes.  Every year nearly 500 young people ages 5 to 18 play baseball for Mathews-Dickey.  Most recently, the agency has partnered with the Cardinals and Baseball Tomorrow Fund to build a new Adam Wainwright Field in its nearby Bob Russell Park; located at St. Cyr and Bellefontaine Roads, the facility is in phase two of a three-part restoration geared to build opportunities for children to enjoy recreational activities and develop sportsmanship, character, and leadership.

“We are proud to support organizations such as the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club that benefit our youth,” said Wayne Norbitz, Nathan’s Famous executive board member and former 26-year president. “Our partnership with Major League Baseball extends beyond the stadiums and into our communities to help keep our children active and give them a safe and fun place to enjoy the game of baseball.”

The world-famous hot dog brand is a sponsor of the PLAY BALL initiative, which is MLB’s collective effort to encourage young people and communities to participate in baseball- or softball-related activities, including formal leagues and events, as well as casual forms of play. In particular, the initiative highlights the many ways the game can be played, including activities outside of traditionally organized baseball and softball leagues and tournaments, ranging from playing catch, stickball, and participating in skills competitions like "Pitch, Hit & Run."

Nathan’s Famous is not only the Official Hot Dog of MLB and the Cardinals, but also the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Miami Marlins, and the Official Beef Frank of the Cincinnati Reds.

Smithfield Foods is the licensee of Nathan's Famous pre-packaged hot dogs, selling a wide variety of beef franks at supermarkets across the country including natural casing, skinless, bun-length, 50 percent reduced fat, angus, and more.

About Nathan's Famous

Nathan's is a Russell 2000 Company that currently distributes its products in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and twelve foreign countries through its restaurant system, foodservice sales programs and product licensing activities. Last year, over 550 million Nathan's Famous hot dogs were sold. Nathan's was ranked #22 on the Forbes 2014 list of the Best Small Companies in America and was listed as the Best Small Company in New York State in October 2013. For additional information about Nathan's please visit our website at www.nathansfamous.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.

Baseball at Mathews-Dickey

Baseball season is starting in just a couple of weeks at Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club.  Mathews-Dickey offers baseball and softball for kids ages five all the way up to 18, including chances to interact with Cardinals players and attend cultural events. Teens can even Earn & Learn as umpires.  Just a few days more to sign-up, so call 314-679-5251 or visit www.mathews-dickey.com.