Military Family Honored by Eckrich, Dollar General and NASCAR Stars Richard Petty and Aric Almirola

LISLE, Ill., April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks to Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, military veteran Marine Corps Sgt. Robert Bogus and his family were honored by NASCAR Hall of Fame driver "The King" Richard Petty and driver of the No. 43 Ford, Aric Almirola, Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. 

Bogus and his family were greeted at the race track by the Richard Petty Motorsports team and escorted to meet the drivers. Petty and Almirola then surprised the family with $200 a week in free groceries for one year at Dollar General, courtesy of Eckrich.  The family also had the opportunity to watch Almirola race.

Eckrich, a sponsor of the famed No. 43, has previously partnered with Petty and Almirola to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors.  Richard Petty Motorsports has been a supporter of military families for many years, but each surprise is always unique and special.

"Eckrich really knows how to give back to our military families," said Petty. "There are so many deserving military families and Eckrich continues to honor them with their own special way of saying 'thanks'.  It's great to watch the reactions of the families.  They are always humbled and appreciate that Eckrich takes time to pay tribute to their sacrifice."

Eckrich, in its fourth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has already donated more than $750,000 to the charity since 2012. Eckrich is again donating up to $250,000 this year through the contribution of five cents from each purchase of specially marked products from May 1 through July 4.

"Like Eckrich, Dollar General and Richard Petty Motorsports are great supporters of our military families," said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. "We are proud and honored to be able to show our appreciation with a once in a lifetime NASCAR experience and $200 a week in free groceries for one year at Dollar General." 

For more information about Eckrich, please visit www.eckrich.com. 

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®, 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 entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, 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, Strike Ten Entertainment and Fresh From Florida, and Sam Hornish, Jr. drives the No. 9 machine with primary partner Twisted Tea. In addition, Dakoda Armstrong wheels the No. 43 WinField Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.

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SOURCE Eckrich

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