Eckrich, Operation Homefront and WinCo Foods Honor Military Family

LISLE, Ill., Sept. 18, 2016 -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with WinCo Foods and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to honor a California military family.

Eckrich Surprised the O’Neel Family with One Year of Free Groceries at WinCo

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fe3b6b13-2b87-4ec2-9707-99731a7ebb76

Eckrich surprised the O’Neel family at WinCo Foods in Sacramento to honor, thank and support the family for their service. As the family checked out at the register they were surprised with a gift of free groceries for one year, valued at over $13,000, at WinCo Foods, courtesy of Eckrich. The family was also presented with tickets to the USC at Stanford college football game on Saturday.

Specialist Danny O’Neel served over six years as a Fire Support Specialist in the United States Army. O’Neel completed two tours overseas and was awarded numerous medals for his service and sacrifice. Danny and his wife, Faun, have four children.

“We are honored to receive this gift from Eckrich,” said Danny O’Neel. “With such a large family, this gift of groceries will go a long way. Thank you Eckrich, WinCo, and Operation Homefront. We are truly grateful.”

The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. The O’Neel family is supported by Operation Homefront's Hearts of Valor® program, a network of more than 3,000 caregivers which provides annual retreats, support groups and online communities.

Friday’s event is also part of the Eckrich Road to the National Championship program where a military family will be honored at 13 of the biggest college football games of the year. Eckrich, now in its fifth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has already donated more than $2.5 million since 2012.

“We are proud to honor military families for their service and sacrifice,” said Jennifer Zmrhal, Senior Director, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “Military families, such as the O’Neel family, deserve to be recognized.  We are happy to thank the O’Neel family with free groceries for one year.”
                                                          
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
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 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.

WinCo Foods
A regional grocery retailer, originally founded in 1967 in Boise, Idaho and employee-owned since 1985. WinCo Foods is owned by hardworking individuals in each community it calls home, currently employing over 16,000 individuals and operating 109 Employee-Owned Stores in eight states (Arizona, Idaho, California, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington).

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]