EL PASO, Texas, Sept. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich®, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and perfectly seasoned deli meats, partnered with Albertsons and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that serves America's military families, to honor an El Paso, Texas military family on Friday at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) football game.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d9af176b-447d-4d1c-9110-c1d739a6d3e8

Eckrich hosted a special presentation for the Lewis family on the field during the second quarter break of the game against the University of Arizona. The family was surprised with a year of free groceries at Albertsons, valued at more than $10,000.

Anthony Lewis served in the U.S. Army for four years as a Patriot Fire Control Operator. He was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom and is a recipient of the Army Commendation Medal. Anthony and his wife, Nelida, have been together for 15 years and have five children and five grandchildren. Nelida is his caregiver and 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.

"To see companies like Eckrich reaching out and making a donation like this warms the heart," said Anthony Lewis. "Knowing that somebody is going to take care of you and look out for you means a lot to me and my family."

The surprise was part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. Now in its sixth year, Eckrich has donated more than $2.5 million to support the organization's mission of building 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 continuing its ongoing support of military families across the country," said Michael Baughman, Smithfield Foods director of marketing. "We appreciate Albertsons participation in this event, and are proud to recognize the Lewis family's service to their country and present them with a year of free groceries at the UTEP football game."

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:
Ken Cohn
Breaking Limits for Eckrich
2137 South Blvd., Suite 200
Charlotte, N.C. 28203
Cell: 203-610-0509
Email: kcohn@breakinglimits.net