Eckrich®, Operation Homefront, and Bashas’ Groc

TUCSON, Ariz., Oct. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich ^® , the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and perfectly seasoned deli meats, partnered with Bashas’ Grocery Stores and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that serves America’s military families, to honor a local military family on Friday.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/Attachm...6a6cb91c4f

Eckrich hosted a surprise presentation for the Johnson family to thank them for their service and sacrifice, and gifted the family with $5,000 in groceries at Bashas’.

Rahn Johnson was a Private First Class in the U.S. Army, serving as a combat medic for four years. He completed one tour in Iraq and has earned several medals including the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. Rahn and his wife, Tabitha, have been married 16 years and have four children. Tabitha is Rahn’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. She is currently working on starting a local support group for caregivers of wounded, ill, and injured service members.

“I am humbled by this gift of groceries from Eckrich and Bashas’, said Rahn Johnson. “It's wonderful to know there are still companies out there supporting military families. This gift of groceries will be a huge help to our family."

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 Bashas’ to recognize this very special military family,” said Michael Baughman, Smithfield Foods director of marketing. “The Johnson 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 Bashas’ Grocery Store Bashas' Family of Stores — the family-owned grocer that operates Food City, AJ's Fine Foods, Eddie's Country Store, and both Bashas' and Bashas' Dine supermarkets — is an Arizona-based company founded by brothers Ike and Eddie Basha, Sr. With more than 100 grocery stores, it is one of the largest employers in the state and one of the Best Places to Work in Arizona. Since the company's inception in 1932, Bashas' has given back more than $100 million to the communities it serves. For more information, visit www.bashas.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 Cell: 434-250-4770 E-Mail: hmeadors@breakinglimits.net