NORFOLK, Va., June 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nathan's Famous® and Kroger joined together for a special celebration to surprise the Kam Cares Foundation yesterday with one year's worth of hot dogs and $2,000 in gift cards this weekend at Town Point Park in Norfolk, Virginia.

The Kam Cares Foundation is a youth-serving nonprofit organization founded by Kam Chancellor, a National Football League Seattle Seahawks player. Established in 2012, the foundation aims to provide for children from underserved communities in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, and Seattle, Washington, areas. Kam Cares works to equip children with educational, health, and wellness tools as well as resources to position them for greater academic success.

During the donation presentation, Nathan's Famous representatives acknowledged the incredible efforts of the Kam Cares Foundation and all of their contributions to local communities. The president of the Kam Cares Foundation, Cornel Parker, joined Nathan's Famous to receive the donation on behalf of the organization.

"Our foundation believes that the act of paying it forward will lead to a widespread community impact," said Parker. "We are incredibly grateful for organizations like Nathan's Famous and Kroger who recognize the work we do and offer their support so that we can help provide opportunities for children who need it the most."

"Nathan's Famous, along with our friends at Kroger, are proud to continue our efforts in recognizing organizations that provide essential tools and resources for children in order to help them develop and find future success," said Michael Paribello, Smithfield Food senior director of marketing. "This gift to the Kam Cares Foundation is a small sign of our appreciation for all the work they've done to support youth in both the Hampton Roads and Seattle communities."

As a partner of Major League Eating and host of the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, the hot dog brand made the donation at Town Point Park in Norfolk prior to the Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest qualifying event.

Smithfield Foods is the licensee of Nathan's Famous pre-packaged hot dogs, selling a wide variety of beef franks at more than 20,000 supermarkets and wholesale club stores across the country including all natural, natural casing, skinless, bun-length, angus, and more.

For more information about Nathan's Famous and recipe inspiration, please visit www.nathansfamous.com or www.facebook.com/nathansfamous.

About Nathan's Famous®

Nathan's is a Russell 2000 Company that currently distributes its products in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and twelve foreign countries through its restaurant system, foodservice sales programs and product licensing activities. Last year, over 550 million Nathan's Famous hot dogs were sold. Nathan's was ranked #22 on the Forbes 2014 list of the Best Small Companies in America and was listed as the Best Small Company in New York State in October 2013. For additional information about Nathan's, please visit our website at www.nathansfamous.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 Kroger's Mid-Atlantic Division:
The Mid-Atlantic Division operates 122 stores, 119 pharmacies and 95 fuel centers in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio. Headquartered in Roanoke, the Mid-Atlantic Division is dedicated to making a difference in the communities it serves. As a part of The Kroger Company's Zero Hunger Zero Waste initiative, the company is aiming to end hunger while eliminating food waste across the company by 2025. Kroger Mid-Atlantic also supports causes including women's health, military troops and their families, in addition to local schools and other grassroots organizations. Kroger continues to be a strong supporter of the Salvation Army, American Red Cross and organizations that promote the advancement of women and minorities. Fortune magazine named Kroger the "most generous company in America" and The Reputation Institute ranked Kroger among the Top 100 of America's Most Reputable Companies.  For more information, visit www.kroger.com.

Contact:

Hunter PR on behalf of Nathan's Famous
Megan Milano
MMilano@HunterpPR.com
(212) 679-6600

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a9ca83f8-afd7-48cf-9de6-4bc5dac2fb2e