Former NBA Forward John Wallace Surprises Oswego Family with One Year of FREE Groceries

LISLE, Ill., July 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, teamed up with Walmart and Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, to honor an Oswego, N.Y. military family on Thursday.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/046f5490-ae87-4125-b6a0-7dac9d7387c5

Eckrich hosted a special presentation for the Helton family outside a Rome, N.Y. Walmart featuring John Wallace, one of the most popular players in the history of Syracuse University basketball. Wallace surprised the family with a gift of free groceries for one year at Walmart, courtesy of Eckrich. Wallace led Syracuse to a 1996 NCAA Championship game and was a first-round NBA draft pick. He went on to play seven seasons in the NBA.

“Seeing the smiles on their faces today was incredible,” said Wallace. “The hope that Eckrich is giving to the Helton family and this community is amazing, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

As part of the event, crowds of shoppers were treated to samples of delicious Eckrich smoked sausage and deli meat, live country music and an appearance by Utica Country radio station 104.3.  In addition, Eckrich provided local military service members and their families with $25 Walmart gift cards to thank them for their service. Since launching its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment in 2013, Walmart has hired more than 130,000 new U.S. veteran associates and promoted more than 15,000 associates who are military veterans.

Jeremy Helton served as a specialist in the US Army for more than six years. He earned numerous medals and awards for his service and time in combat. His wife, Sarah, is his caregiver and a member of Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor^® program, a network of nearly 3,000 caregivers for wounded, ill or injured service members. The family has two children.

“We’d be lost without companies like Eckrich and organizations like Operation Homefront,” said Sarah Helton. “They get us involved with other military families, and this gift will help us so much.”

The surprise is part of the ongoing campaign by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront.  The Helton family is supported by Operation Homefront’s Hearts of Valor^® program, which provides caregivers with annual retreats, support groups and online communities.

Eckrich, in its fifth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, has donated more than $2.5 million to the organization since 2012.

“Eckrich is proud to continue supporting military families,” said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “We appreciate Walmart’s partnership and thank John Wallace for helping Eckrich present the Helton family with one year of free groceries.”

For more information about Eckrich, please visit www.eckrich.com or follow Eckrich on Facebook and Twitter.

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 $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®, 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
A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront builds strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.  With more than 3,200 volunteers nationwide, Operation Homefront has provided assistance to tens of thousands of military families its inception shortly after 9/11. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of Operation Homefront’s expenditures go directly to programs that provide support to our military families. For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.net.

Contact:
Faye Shroff
Breaking Limits for Eckrich
Cell: (704) 591-4353
E-Mail: fshroff@breakinglimits.net