LISLE, Ill., Aug. 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, teamed up with Jewel-Osco and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to honor a Minooka, Ill. military family on Tuesday.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/63b4af7c-5f8e-406f-986b-5349addb7a53.
Eckrich hosted a special presentation for the Nehmelman family at Jewel-Osco headquarters in Itasca, Ill., honoring them with one year of free groceries.
Demarcus Nehmelman served as a vehicle mechanic in the US Army. He completed a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2012, earning Army achievement medals and combat action badges. His mother, Rosa, is his full-time caregiver and a member of Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor® program, a network of nearly 3,000 caregivers for wounded, ill or injured service members.
“This helps us more than anyone can imagine,” said Rosa Nehmelman. “It means so much for a company like Eckrich to do this for our service members and make them feel special.”
The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. The Nehmelman family is supported by Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor® program, which provides caregivers with annual retreats, support groups and online communities.
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 continue supporting military families,” said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “We appreciate Jewel-Osco’s partnership and we are honored to present the Nehmelman family with one year of 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®, Nathan's Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Kretschmar®, Gwaltney®, Curly's®, Margherita®, 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.