Eckrich® and Safeway Partner to Celebrate Local Military Family

VAIL, Ariz., April 04, 2018 -- Eckrich®, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and perfectly seasoned deli meats, has surprised one special Arizona military family with a year of free groceries, a total value of more than $13,000. This gift, awarded in collaboration with Safeway, is part of Eckrich’s ongoing commitment to honor, thank, and support military families across the country.

Johnson Family Gifted by the Eckrich and Safeway teams with Free Groceries for a Year as a Thank You for Their Service

Derrick Johnson is a technical sergeant in the United States Air Force, serving as a noncommissioned officer in charge of aircrew training for the 41st Electronic Combat Squadron. He has deployed three times to Afghanistan in his 12-year Air Force career. Derrick and his wife, Aubree, have five children.

“This gift of groceries for a year will help our family immensely,” said Tech. Sgt. Johnson. “With five children, groceries are our largest expense, and we can now put that money toward other important bills. We can’t thank Eckrich and Safeway enough for their support.”

“Eckrich is proud to recognize the service of Tech. Sgt. Johnson and his family,” said Michael Baughman, Smithfield Foods director of marketing. “We acknowledge that both he and his family have sacrificed so much in his service to our country. This gift of free groceries for a year is 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, Indiana, to one of the most recognized regional premium deli and meat brands on the market today. 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®, Farmer John®, Kretschmar®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Gwaltney®, Carando®, Margherita®, Curly's®, Healthy Ones®, Morliny®, Krakus® 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 Albertsons Companies
Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with both a strong local presence and national scale. The company operates stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 19 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, and Carrs. Albertsons Companies is dedicated to helping people across the country live better lives. In 2015 alone, with the help of generous customers, Albertsons Companies and the Albertsons Companies Foundation gave more than $270 million in food and financial support to the more than 2,300 communities they serve, improving the lives of millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities, and veterans outreach. Albertsons Companies is committed to making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood.

Contact:
Hunter PR on behalf of Eckrich
Megan Milano
[email protected]
(212) 679-6600

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/8d085a49-0d77-473e-8ee7-3a1c3c7f655f