Eckrich, Operation Homefront, and Albertsons Partner to Honor Local Military Family

LISLE, Ill., April 26, 2017 -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with Albertsons and Operation Homefront to honor a Las Vegas military family on Wednesday. The brand surprised the Bassett family at an Albertsons grocery store in Las Vegas to honor and thank them for their service.

Eckrich and Albertsons Surprised the Bassett Family with One Year of Free Groceries

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d08edb84-e560-49eb-8743-35054a2e35af

When the Bassetts arrived at the store, Eckrich surprised them with a gift of free groceries for a year at Albertsons, valued at more than $10,000. As part of the event, crowds of shoppers were treated to live country music and samples of delicious Eckrich smoked sausage and deli meat.

James Bassett, a specialist in the United States Army, served honorably for five years as a Human Resources Specialist during Operation Enduring Freedom. Bassett was awarded several medals and ribbons, including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. He and his wife, Michelle, have been married for seven years and have two children. Michelle is a peer support facilitator for 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.

"This is a huge blessing," said Michelle Bassett. "It warms our hearts knowing that even after returning from deployment, companies like Eckrich and Albertsons are recognizing military families."

The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank, and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. Eckrich, in its sixth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has donated more than $2.5 million to the organization since 2012. Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.

“Eckrich is proud to continue to support military families across the country,” said Jennifer Zmrhal, Smithfield Foods senior director of marketing. “We appreciate the partnership from Albertsons and we are honored to present the Bassett family with a year of free groceries.”

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 $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
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:
Faye Shroff
Breaking Limits for Eckrich
2137 South Blvd., Suite 200
Charlotte, N.C. 28203
Cell: 704-591-4353
E-Mail: [email protected]