CINCINNATI, Aug. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eckrich®, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with Kroger and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that serves America’s military families, to honor a Cincinnati military family on Wednesday. Eckrich surprised the Mather family at Kroger headquarters.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5c63caf9-4626-462e-8807-a05361137edf
Eckrich hosted a special presentation to celebrate the Mather family and awarded them with a $5,000 Kroger gift card. The brand also provided lunch to the family and Kroger employees.
Michael Mather served in the U.S. Air Force for nine years, and the U.S. Army for six years. He was deployed 11 times and has served as both an F-15 Crew Chief and a Forward Observer in several locations including Iraq and Afghanistan. Michael was awarded a Purple Heart after being shot by a sniper in 2008. Michael’s wife, Emily, is his caregiver and a group facilitator in Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor® program, a network of more than 3,000 caregivers of wounded service members which provides annual retreats, support groups, and online communities. The couple has two children.
“We are honored to receive this support from Eckrich and Kroger,” said Emily Mather. “With two teenagers in the house, we definitely spend a lot on groceries. This gift will be a huge help to our family.”
The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. Now in its sixth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, Eckrich has donated more than $2.5 million to support the organization’s mission to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.
“Eckrich is proud to partner with Kroger to honor this very special military family,” said Michael Baughman, Smithfield Foods director of marketing. “The Mather family has sacrificed so much in service to our country, and this gift card serves as a small sign of our appreciation for all that they have given.”
For more information about Eckrich, please visit www.eckrich.com or follow Eckrich on Facebook and Twitter. 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Ⓡ, 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
Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America’s military families. For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.org.
CONTACT: Contact: Faye Shroff Breaking Limits for Eckrich 2137 South Blvd., Suite 200 Charlotte, N.C. 28203 Direct: 704-766-9062 Cell: 704-591-4353 E-Mail: [email protected]