Eckrich®, Operation Homefront, and Marc’s Partn

CANTON, Ohio, July 14, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich ^® , the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with Marc’s and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit serving America’s military families, to honor an Ohio military family on Friday.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/Attachm...2f73204b11

Eckrich presented John Ready and his family with a special surprise to thank them for their service during the recent grand opening of the new Marc’s grocery store in Canton, Ohio. During the event, Eckrich and Marc’s surprised the family with $1,000 in free groceries.

John Ready served in the U.S. Army for seven years as a vehicle mechanic and Patriot fire control enhanced operator. He earned more than ten medals and five notable ribbons for his honorable service. John and his wife, Jennifer, have been married for nine years and have one son. Jennifer is a member of Operation Homefront's Hearts of Valor ^® program, a network of more than 3,000 caregivers of wounded service members which provides annual retreats, support groups, and online communities.

"We are honored by this gift of groceries from Eckrich," said Jennifer Ready. "It's wonderful to see Eckrich and Marc's supporting military families, and we are grateful for this gift of $1,000 in free groceries."

The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. Now in its sixth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, Eckrich has donated more than $2.5 million to support the organization‘s mission to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.

“Eckrich is proud to partner with Marc’s to recognize this very special military family,” said Michael Paribello, Smithfield Foods senior director of marketing. “We hope this gift serves as a small sign of our appreciation for everything the Ready family has sacrificed.”

For more information about Eckrich, please visit www.eckrich.com or follow Eckrich on Facebook and Twitter. 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 $15 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 Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America’s military families. For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.org . 

Contact: Hannah Meadors Breaking Limits for Eckrich 2137 South Blvd., Suite 200 Charlotte, N.C. 28203 Direct: 704-766-9062 Cell: 704-591-4353 E-Mail: hmeadors@breakinglimits.net