Eckrich Celebrates 120th Anniversary Honoring Military Veterans and Families

A Long History of Quality and Service Has Helped Brand Grow and Give Back

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Sep 09, 2014, 01:52 ET

LISLE, Ill., Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Founded in 1894, Eckrich will celebrate its 120th anniversary this weekend in line with the promise on which the brand was built; quality and service. Over the past 120 years, Eckrich has grown as a leader in its industry on the promise of providing quality meat products and giving back to its communities. Eckrich will honor that promise this weekend as it honors and gives back to 120 of America's military families.

Eckrich Celebrates 120th Anniversary Honoring Military Veterans and Families (PRNewsFoto/Eckrich)

Eckrich will showcase the names of the 120 military families on the No. 43 Eckrich car which will compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race this weekend at the Chicagoland Speedway. Eckrich will also host the families at the event and provide each family with a $120 gift card at Jewel-Osco. The car design, race day experience and gift cards align with the deep history of the company to give back to consumers and pay tribute to those who trust the brand.

This gratitude towards our military families is part of the continued Eckrich "Operation Inspiration" campaign, which supports and honors military families. Eckrich is in its third year of partnership with Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit which provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Eckrich has already raised more than $750,000 in donations for the nonprofit organization.

"We are proud to celebrate the 120^th anniversary of the Eckrich brand by honoring 120 military families," said Chuck Gitkin, vice president, marketing, innovation and R&D for the John Morrell Food Group. "The Eckrich 'Operation Inspiration' campaign has allowed us to thank America's military families in keeping with the brand's rich history of giving back to the community. It is our intent for Eckrich to continue to stand for quality, service, and family for another 120 years to come."

Eckrich, part of the John Morrell Food Group, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, Inc. 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 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EckrichMeats.

About John Morrell Food Group
With over a century and a half of experience, John Morrell Food Group brands have become respected and well known for providing premium-quality meat products to families across the United States. With products ranging from lunchmeat and franks to smoked sausage, bacon and pepperoni, the John Morrell Food Group is an important part of consumers' mealtimes. The John Morrell Food Group offers several national and regional brands including Armour^®, Eckrich^®, John Morrell^®, Curly's^®, Patrick Cudahy^®, Carando^®, Healthy Ones^®, Margherita^® Kretschmar^® and LunchMakers^®.

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®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, Gwaltney®, John Morrell®, Kretschmar®, Curly's®, Carando®, Margherita®, and Healthy Ones®. 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 and www.smithfieldcommitments.com.

About Operation Homefront:
A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 2,500 volunteers with nationwide presence who provide emergency and other financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Operation Homefront has provided assistance to thousands of military families since its inception in 2002. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity watchdog groups, nationally, 93 percent of total donations to Operation Homefront go directly to programs that provide support to our military families. For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.net.

About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneurs Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force, STP, GoBowling.com and Fresh From Florida and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 Ford Fusion with primary partners STANLEY, DEWALT, Mac Tools and Twisted Tea. In addition, Dakoda Armstrong will compete in the No. 43 Ford Mustang with primary partners WinField and Fresh From Florida for his first full-time season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.