LISLE, Ill., June 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with City Market/King Soopers and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to honor a Florence, Colo. military family Friday night.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4b099eb5-c22e-4622-bc59-3fef738d2015.
Three-time American Country Award winner, country music singer Easton Corbin welcomed the Ferguson family backstage before his concert in Grand Junction, Colo. and surprised them with a gift of $5,000 in free groceries at City Market/King Soopers, courtesy of Eckrich. The Ferguson family then watched Corbin perform as a part of the Country Jam Festival.
"It’s been an honor to join Eckrich and Operation Homefront in their efforts to give back to our military families,” said Corbin. “We are able to go out and perform because of the sacrifices that families like the Fergusons made for us. I hope they enjoy their gift from Eckrich and City Market/King Soopers.”
Sgt. Stephen Ferguson served over nine years in the United States Marine Corps. During his time in service, Ferguson served three tours in Iraq and was one of the first to receive a Purple Heart after the attacks on September 11. His wife, Tiffiny, is his full-time caregiver. The family has four children.
"What a special surprise," said Tiffiny Ferguson. "It's reassuring to know there are companies like Eckrich who actively support military families. We are grateful for this gift."
The event is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. The Ferguson family is supported by Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor® program, a network of nearly 3,000 caregivers for wounded, ill or injured service members. Operation Homefront supports these caregivers through annual retreats, support groups and online communities.
Eckrich, a brand of Smithfield Foods, in its fifth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has donated more than $2 million to the organization since 2012.
“Eckrich is proud to partner with Easton Corbin to help us support and thank our military families,” said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “And, we want to give a special thanks to the Ferguson family for their sacrifice. We are pleased to provide the family our support with $5,000 in groceries to City Market/King Soopers, courtesy of Eckrich.”
For more information about Eckrich, please visit www.eckrich.com or follow Eckrich on Facebook and Twitter.
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 $14 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®, Cook's®, John Morrell®, Gwaltney®, 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 builds strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. With more than 3,200 volunteers nationwide, Operation Homefront has provided assistance to tens of thousands of military families since its inception shortly after 9/11. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 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.
About Easton Corbin
With two No. 1 singles, multiple awards and nominations, plus performances on some of the biggest stages in the world, Mercury Nashville’s Easton Corbin has made a lasting impression on the country music landscape. He is lauded for his traditional country sound, authentic lyrics and mastery of understatement. American Songwriter says, "Easton Corbin has one of those rare, glorious voices that was made—just made—for singing country music.” His self-titled debut album released in 2010 and spawned back-to-back hits “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It;” making him the first country male artist in 17 years to have his first two consecutive singles reach No. 1. In 2012 the Gilchrist County Florida native released his sophomore album, All Over The Road, which included the Top 5 hits “Lovin’ You Is Fun” and “All Over The Road.” Corbin set a career-best debut on Country Airplay with his top 5 hit single, “Baby Be My Love Song," from his No. 1 debuting album About To Get Real. His new single, “Are You With Me,” is already making an impact on the charts and was the most added song at country radio the day it was released. “Are You With Me” first appeared on All Over The Road and was such a special song to Corbin, he carried it over to About To Get Real in hopes it would be a radio single. Corbin is currently on tour through the Fall 2016 with Carrie Underwood’s The Storyteller Tour.