Eckrich, Operation Homefront, and Hornbacher’s Partner to Honor Local Military Family

FARGO, N.D., June 30, 2017 -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with Hornbacher’s and Operation Homefront to honor a Moorhead, Minn. military family on Thursday.

The Karels Family Receives a Year of Free Groceries at Hornbacher's, Courtesy of Eckrich

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e3e29916-60df-4a78-94ea-f622fedca41e

Eckrich surprised the Karels family in Fargo, N.D. and hosted a special presentation to thank the family for their service during the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks minor league baseball game. The family was surprised with a gift of free groceries for a year at Hornbacher’s, valued at more than $5,000.

Lawrence Karels served as a sergeant in the Army National Guard during Operation Iraqi Freedom and was honorably discharged in 2007. Lawrence has received numerous medals and ribbons for his service. He and his wife, Cynthia, have one daughter. Cynthia is a member of 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.

"We are grateful for companies like Eckrich and Hornbacher’s who continue to show their support for service members," said Lawrence Karels. "This gift of groceries will allow us to worry a little less and enjoy more time with 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 nonprofit’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 Hornbacher’s to give back to this very special military family,” said Michael Paribello, Smithfield Foods senior director of marketing. “The Karels family has sacrificed so much in service to our country, and this gift of groceries 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:
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]