LISLE, Ill., Aug. 23, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thanks to Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, a local military family was honored by Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Almirola Saturday before the event at Bristol Motor Speedway.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=35457
Army Sergeant Gary Burkhart and his wife Chrissy were greeted at the race track by the Richard Petty Motorsports team and escorted to the garage area to meet the winning driver. Almirola then surprised the family with a gift card for $1,000 in free groceries at Food City, courtesy of Eckrich. The family will also have the opportunity to watch Almirola race on Saturday night.
Eckrich, a sponsor of the famed No. 43, has previously partnered with Almirola to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. Since it was founded shortly after September 11, 2001, Operation Homefront has provided emergency financial assistance to military families. In addition, they provide a wide array of family support programs, plus transitional housing for wounded-warrior families and permanent housing for veterans of all eras. Almirola, who was born on Eglin Air Force base in Florida, knows the importance of giving back to military families.
"I'm proud to work with Eckrich to honor our military families," said Almirola. "I have two children of my own and I can't imagine how hard it is for our military families. This is a great way for Eckrich to assist them and I'm glad that I can do my part to help."
Eckrich, in its fourth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, recently surpassed $1 million in donations since 2012.
"Like Eckrich, Food City and Aric Almirola are great supporters of our military families," said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. "We are proud and honored to be able to show our appreciation with a once in a lifetime racing experience and $1,000 in free groceries at Food City."
For more information about Eckrich please visit www.eckrich.com. 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®, 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 Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by
NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force, STP and Fresh From Florida, and Sam Hornish Jr. drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Medallion Bank and Twisted Tea. In addition, Dakoda Armstrong wheels the No. 43 WinField Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
