LISLE, Ill., Aug. 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, and Marc's Grocery Store and Pharmacy partnered today during The Fest, a music festival in Wickliffe, Ohio, to honor a military family with a special surprise. Eckrich honored U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant David Weber and his family on stage with a gift card for $1,000 in free groceries at Marc's.
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Marc's employee Ray Benisek, a military veteran himself, presented the surprise. This is the second time this year that Eckrich and Marc's have honored a Cleveland-area military family.
The gift of groceries is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront, a national non-profit that provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Eckrich, in its fourth year of supporting Operation Homefront, recently surpassed $1 million in monetary donations since the start of the program in 2012. Eckrich is a brand of Smithfield Foods.
"Marc's has been an excellent partner in helping Eckrich support, honor and thank military families throughout Ohio this summer," said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. "Marc's, like Eckrich, appreciates the sacrifices that these families have made. It is our honor to present the Weber family with $1,000 in 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.
About Operation Homefront:
A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 2,500 volunteers with nationwide presence who provide emergency and other financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Operation Homefront has provided assistance to thousands of military families since its inception in 2002. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity watchdog groups, nationally, 92 percent of Operation Homefront's expenditures go directly to programs that provide support to our military families. For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.net.
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
