LISLE, Ill., March 17, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, partnered with WinCo Foods and Operation Homefront to honor a Boise military family on Friday. Eckrich surprised the Danes family at WinCo Foods in Nampa, Idaho to honor and thank the family for their service.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0dfad399-0344-435e-af07-fb26f7bdbe8e

When the family arrived at the store, they were surprised with a shopping spree. Upon checking out at the register, the Danes family received another surprise: free groceries for a year at WinCo Foods, courtesy of Eckrich. The gift is valued at more than $10,000.
   
Joseph Danes, a Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, has served honorably for 15 years. He is currently serving in the Marine Corps Reserves. Danes has completed multiple tours overseas and earned three bachelor's degrees. He and his wife, Ashley, have been married for 13 years and have four children. She is a member of Operation Homefront's Hearts of Valor® program, a network of more than 3,000 caregivers of wounded service members which provide annual retreats, support groups, and online communities.

"We are immensely grateful," said Ashley Danes. "This gift of free groceries is going to be a huge relief for our family. We cannot say thank you enough to Eckrich and WinCo for this amazing surprise."

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 thrive -- not simply get by -- in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.

"Eckrich is honored to give back to such a deserving military family," said Jennifer Zmrhal, Smithfield Foods senior director of marketing. "We appreciate the partnership from WinCo Foods, and are so proud to support the dedicated service members who keep our country safe."

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
Direct: 704-766-9062
Cell: 704-591-4353
E-Mail: fshroff@breakinglimits.net