LISLE, Ill., Aug. 11, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with Crest Foods and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable and secure military families, to honor a Midwest City, Oklahoma military family.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d815a897-b4f7-4364-8cbf-f3a6fb9aa599
Eckrich surprised the Roden family inside a Crest Foods store, to honor, thank and support the Roden family. As the family checked out at the register they were surprised with a gift of $5,000 in free groceries at Crest Foods, courtesy of Eckrich.
Private Patrick Roden served honorably in the United States Army for over three years. He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. His wife, Amanda, is his caregiver. The couple has three children.
"We are grateful for this gift from Eckrich and Crest Foods," said Roden. "With three growing kids and school starting soon, this gift is really going to help our family. We want to thank Eckrich and Crest Foods again."
The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. The Roden family is supported by Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor® program, a network of people caring for wounded, ill or injured service members.
Eckrich, in its fifth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has donated more than $2.5 million to the organization since 2012.
“Eckrich is proud to honor our military families throughout the country,” said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “We thank the Roden family for their sacrifice and are proud to partner with Crest Foods to present them with $5,000 in free groceries.”
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®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, John Morrell®, Gwaltney®, Nathan's Famous®, Kretschmar®, Margherita®, Curly's®, 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 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.