SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 17, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich®, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and perfectly seasoned deli meats, honored a Salt Lake City military family on Friday in partnership with WinCo Foods and Operation Homefront, to thank them for their service. This special event took place during the grand opening celebration of the local WinCo Foods store.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3dd164d4-2b1b-49b8-ad26-65ef3d20f2b1

When the Manninos arrived at the new store, Eckrich surprised the family with a grocery shopping spree. Then at checkout, the brand provided the family with another surprise: a gift of free groceries for a year at WinCo Foods, valued at more than $10,000.

Retired Corporal Nicholas Mannino served honorably in the U.S. Army for six years as an Infantryman. During his service, he was honored with several awards. Nicholas and his wife, Stephanie, have been together for 17 years. Stephanie is Nicholas' full-time 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.

"We are grateful for this gift of free groceries from Eckrich and WinCo Foods," said Nicholas Mannino. "With six children, and the holidays right around the corner, this gift could not have come at a better time. Thank you, Eckrich and WinCo for this generous donation."

The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank, and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront. Eckrich, now in its sixth year of the partnership, has donated more than $3 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 can thrive — not simply struggle to get by — in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.

"Eckrich is proud to support military families across the country, and we are grateful for WinCo's continued partnership," said Mike Paribello, Smithfield Foods senior director of marketing. "We are inspired by the sacrifices made by the Mannino family and we hope this small gift of groceries will serve as a sign of our appreciation for all that they do."

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:
Hannah Meadors
Breaking Limits for Eckrich
2137 South Blvd., Suite 200
Charlotte, N.C. 28203
Cell: 434-250-4770
E-Mail: hmeadors@breakinglimits.net