LISLE, Ill., June 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, joined forces with Shop 'n Save to give back to a Latrobe, Pa., military family on Saturday morning during the Shop 'n Save Westmoreland County Airshow at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Retired Army Specialist Kyle Parpart and his wife Kelsey were honored with one year of free groceries at Shop 'n Save, courtesy of Eckrich. The family received an extra treat when Latrobe-native and golf legend Arnold Palmer made a surprise appearance while visiting his namesake airport to watch the airshow.
The presentation was a surprise to the family on behalf of Eckrich and is part of the ongoing Eckrich campaign to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. SPC Parpart served in the Army for three years and served overseas in Iraq for eight months as a transportation specialist. He was honorably discharged in 2012. SPC Parpart is currently pursuing his education in automobile mechanics and raising his four-year-old son with his wife.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=33966
Eckrich, a brand of Smithfield Foods, is in its fourth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, a non-profit organization that provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. Eckrich has already donated more than $750,000 to the charity since 2012. Eckrich is again donating up to $250,000 this year through the contribution of five cents from each purchase of specially marked products from now through July 4. By the end of this year's fundraising period, the expected total donation will surpass $1 million.
"We are proud to work with partners like Shop 'n Save who share our passion for honoring our military families," said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. "Military families have given up their time together so that we can have our freedoms and it's important to everyone at Eckrich that we recognize those sacrifices. We are honored to be able to show our appreciation to the Parpart family with one year of free groceries."
For more information about Eckrich please visit www.facebook.com/EckrichMeats
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®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, John Morrell®, Gwaltney®, Nathan's Famous®, Kretschmar®, Margherita®, Curly's®, Carando® and Healthy Ones®. 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 and www.smithfieldcommitments.com.
About Hearts of Valor™
Operation Homefront's Hearts of Valor™ program honors the service and sacrifice of those who care for our nation's wounded, ill or injured warriors by providing a community of support based on a foundation of empathy and mutual understanding. Post-9/11 caregivers receive access to our national in-person peer support groups which address the daily challenges of caregiving. Caregivers also have access to one-on-one support from mental health professionals who can provide up-to-date resources and local referrals. For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.net.
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
