Eckrich and Easton Corbin Unite to Honor Military Family

LISLE, Ill., March 23, 2016 -- Three-time American Country Award winner, country music singer Easton Corbin, is the newest member of the Eckrich family. Corbin joins Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats in its national campaign to honor, thank and support military families.

Eckrich, Operation Homefront, Kroger and Country Music Artist Easton Corbin honored the Miller family with a gift of $5,000 in free groceries to Kroger, courtesy of Eckrich backstage before his concert.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/557fa2ac-561e-43a6-9e0c-8e0595ffd1bb

Corbin joined Eckrich, Kroger and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to give back to a St. Clair Shores, Michigan military family before his concert on Tuesday night. Corbin welcomed the Miller family backstage before his concert and honored the family with a gift of $5,000 in free groceries to Kroger, courtesy of Eckrich. The Miller family then watched Corbin perform during the Storyteller Tour headlined by Carrie Underwood.

"It's an honor to partner with Eckrich and Operation Homefront to give back to those men and women who have served, as well as their families for the sacrifices they too have made for our country,” said Corbin.

Sergeant David Miller served five years in the Army. He was deployed to Iraq from 2009 to 2010, during which time his back was injured during an explosion. Miller currently suffers from PTSD. David’s wife, Michelle, volunteers and helps build morale among the troops currently overseas. The couple has two daughters.

"We really appreciate this gift from Eckrich and Kroger," said Michelle and David Miller. "It's just nice to see people giving back to military families. It really means a lot."

The event is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. The Miller family is supported by Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor^® program, a network of 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 million to the organization since 2012.

“Eckrich welcomes Easton Corbin and we’re excited to have him as a part of our campaign to honor and thank military families,” said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “We thank Kroger and Operation Homefront for their continued partnership and give a special thanks to the Miller family for their sacrifice.”

For more information about Eckrich, please visit www.eckrich.com. 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®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, John Morrell®, Gwaltney®, Nathan's Famous®, 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 leads more than 2,500 volunteers with nationwide presence who provide emergency and other financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Operation Homefront has provided assistance to thousands of military families since its inception in 2002. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity watchdog groups, nationally, 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

Mercury Nashville recording artist Easton Corbin 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 current single “Yup” is climbing the country singles chart. Corbin is currently on tour with Carrie Underwood’s The Storyteller Tour.

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]