Eckrich®, Operation Homefront, and Marc’s Groce

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio, Oct. 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich ^® , the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and perfectly seasoned deli meats, partnered with Marc’s Grocery Stores and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that serves America’s military families, to honor a Willowick, Ohio military family on Saturday.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/Attachm...958242230d

Eckrich hosted a surprise presentation to honor the Hanson family to thank them for their service and sacrifice during a Marc’s store grand opening celebration. During the celebration, Eckrich gifted the family with $1,000 in groceries to Marc’s.

Daniel Hanson was a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as an Aviation Operations Specialist for seven years. He was deployed multiple times during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Daniel and his wife, Emily, have three children. Emily is Daniel’s caregiver and 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.

"This is a huge blessing for us and we are really thankful to Operation Homefront, Eckrich and Marc’s," said Emily Hanson.

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 the partnership, Eckrich has donated more than $3 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 honor this very special military family,” said Michael Baughman, Smithfield Foods director of marketing. “The Hanson family has sacrificed so much in service to our country, and this gift of groceries is a small sign of our appreciation for all that they have given.”

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 Marc’s Corporately headquartered in Parma Ohio Marc’s opened its first store in 1978 and has continued to grow ever since. With 58 stores throughout Ohio, Marc’s carries name brand merchandise in the food, health & beauty, produce, meats and cheeses, dairy, frozen and general categories. Many stores also have bakery departments, cold cut counters and pharmacies. Marc’s continues to grow and expand and be the leading deep discounter in Ohio.

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: Ken Cohn Breaking Limits for Eckrich 2137 South Blvd., Suite 200 Charlotte, N.C. 28203 Cell: 203-610-0509 E-Mail: kcohn@breakinglimits.net