LISLE, Ill., Aug. 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with TOPS Friendly Markets and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to honor a Liverpool, New York military family.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/355ca92b-efe7-47d7-a520-e8be3187609f
Joining them for the surprise event was a special guest, platinum-selling country music star Randy Houser. Eckrich and Houser invited the Bredberg family backstage before his performance and surprised them with a gift of $5,000 in free groceries at TOPS.
Together, Eckrich and Houser have partnered to honor U.S. military families since 2014. Houser is known for top hits including his four No. 1 singles “How Country Feels,” “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight,” “Goodnight Kiss” and “We Went” as well as the Top 5 smash “Like A Cowboy.” He recently released his fourth studio album, Fired Up, via Stoney Creek Records. The 17-song project follows Houser’s breakthrough album, How Country Feels, and features his latest No. 1 hit “We Went” and new single, “Chasing Down a Good Time.”
“It is always a lot of fun to meet our military families,” said Houser. “Tonight, I was honored to meet the Bredberg family and present them with a check for $5,000 in free groceries, courtesy of Eckrich. It’s our way of saying ‘thanks’ for everything they have done for us.”
Timothy Bredberg served in the United States Army from 2003 to 2006 as a combat medic. During his time, Bredberg received a Purple Heart, in addition to many other awards and medals. His wife, Stacey, has been Timothy’s caregiver for the past ten years. Together the family has three children.
“I cannot begin to describe how much this means to our family,” said Bredberg. “Thank you to Eckrich, Randy Houser, and TOPS for your support of military families.”
The event is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. The Bredberg 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, in its fifth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has donated more than $2.5 million to the organization since 2012.
“Eckrich continues its mission to honor, thank and support our military families across the country,” said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “We are thankful for the help of Randy Houser in giving back to the Bredberg family. We thank the Bredberg family for their sacrifice and hope they enjoy the $5,000 in free groceries at TOPS.”
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.
About Randy Houser
With an inimitable voice the New York Times describes as “wholly different, thicker and more throbbing, a caldron bubbling over,” Randy Houser racked up three consecutive No. 1 hits and more than four million in singles sales to date with his Stoney Creek Records album, How Country Feels. He topped the charts with the title track, “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight” and “Goodnight Kiss” (also his first No. 1 as a songwriter) and earned critical acclaim for his powerful delivery of the Top 5 smash and CMA Song of the Year-nominated “Like A Cowboy.” Houser added a fourth No. 1 to his catalogue with “We Went” from his latest album, Fired Up, and recently released a new single, “Chasing Down A Good Time.” He is currently on the Somewhere On A Beach Tour with Dierks Bentley. For more information, visit www.RandyHouser.com or follow on Twitter @RandyHouser and www.Facebook.com/RandyHouser.
CONTACT: Contacts: Jeff Dennison Breaking Limits for Eckrich 2137 South Blvd., Suite 200 Charlotte, N.C. 28203 Direct: 704-766-9061 Cell: 704-252-3356 E-Mail: [email protected] Media Contacts for Randy Houser Ebie McFarland / Stephanie Rew Essential Broadcast Media Direct: 615-327-3259 E-Mail: [email protected] / [email protected]