ESPN'S KIRK HERBSTREIT AND MARTY SMITH TEAMED UP WITH ECKRICH® TO SCORE A $300,000 DONATION FOR CHARITY AHEAD OF THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bullseye! Leading up to the College Football National Championship game, Kirk Herbstreit, Emmy Award-winning ESPN/ABC college football analyst, and Marty Smith, multifaceted sports journalist for ESPN, took center stage at the Playoff Fan Central in the Indiana Convention Center to participate in Eckrich^®'s $1 Million Challenge for Teachers to fund education projects. Marty Smith successfully completed the challenge to earn a noteworthy donation for CFP Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers Charity.

Herbstreit and Smith had five chances each to successfully complete a 15-yard throw through a target. Luckily, Smith made his fourth throw, generating a $100,000 donation to Extra Yard for Teachers on behalf of Eckrich. To further show support for the cause, Eckrich added another $200,000 to the donation in good faith, bringing the total to $300,000.

This is the fifth year that Eckrich has partnered with the CFP Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers program to celebrate teachers across the country for their honest work and tireless commitment to ensure that their students have the tools to succeed. This donation will be added to the more than two million dollars that the brand has donated to the charity throughout the years. 

"The excitement leading up to the College Football Playoff National Championship game is electric. I'm so glad that I could channel this positive energy and use it to help me make one of the throws during the Eckrich $1 Million Challenge for Teachers," said Marty Smith, multifaceted sports journalist for ESPN. "There's no denying that teachers are heroes, and I'm thankful that this donation will help provide them with the resources that they need to ensure they have a brighter 2022."

"I have been involved with numerous charitable endeavors throughout my career, and the Eckrich $1 Million Challenge throws have been some of the most important and impactful," said Kirk Herbstreit, Emmy Award-winning ESPN/ABC college football analyst. "It's an incredible feeling knowing that this donation on behalf of Eckrich will help so many teachers across the country who do so much for the development of our communities and the education of our most precious resource, our kids."

"We are so grateful for all of the support that Eckrich has shown our organization all season long, and we couldn't be more thrilled that Marty Smith successfully completed the Eckrich $1 Million Challenge for Teachers," said Britton Banowsky, executive director of the College Football Foundation. "This donation will help lift teachers up and provide them with the support they need, and it couldn't come at a better time. These essential workers need our help, now more than ever."

"We share Kirk and Marty's excitement in awarding Extra Yard for Teachers with a $300,000 donation," said Rikki Ingram, director of marketing at Smithfield Foods. "Teachers are truly heroes, especially as they've navigated the challenges of the past few school years, and we couldn't be happier to make a difference in their lives and help fund their classroom projects to enhance their students' learning environment through this contribution."

The $1 Million Challenge for Teachers wasn't the only exciting thing Eckrich had cooking up this year. As the Official Smoked Sausage and Deli Meat Sponsor of the College Football Playoff, Eckrich launched a social contest – the College Football Playoff National Tailgate Champion – to crown the first-ever master of pre-game grilling. Tom Anderson from Holland, Michigan was selected as the lucky winner and received an all-expenses paid trip to attend the CFP National Championship and a custom National Tailgate Champion Ring.  

For more information and game-day recipe inspiration, 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, Indiana, to one of the most recognized regional premium deli and meat brands on the market today. 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. Eckrich is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Headquartered in Smithfield, Va. since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly.^®" and have made Smithfield one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield^®, Eckrich^® and Nathan's Famous^®, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game. This season's Playoff Semifinals will take place Friday, December 31, 2021, at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and the Capital One Orange Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 10, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

About the College Football Playoff Foundation and Extra Yard for Teachers 
The CFP Foundation is the community engagement arm of the College Football Playoff, supporting education across the country. The CFP Foundation's primary cause platform, Extra Yard for Teachers, is dedicated to elevating the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers in four focus areas: resources, recognition, recruitment and professional development. The CFP Foundation utilizes multiple partnerships to execute its initiatives and support positive educational outcomes. To learn more, visit cfp-foundation.org and follow Extra Yard for Teachers (@CFPExtraYard) on social media.

SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.