Military Family Receives Year of Groceries after On-Air Surprise by Eckrich

LISLE, Ill., April 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On the set of "Good Morning Texas," Army Sergeant Robert Morgan and his wife Ashley were honored by Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and deli meats, after being surprised with a special invitation to be VIP guests of theirs and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports race team during this Saturday's race in Ft. Worth. 

The offer from Eckrich to join the team came with official team crew shirts and hats for the Morgan family. But, there was more.  Eckrich then presented the family with a gift of free groceries for one year at Kroger.  The groceries will help the Morgans who are parents of two young children.

Eckrich, a brand of Smithfield Foods, will host Sergeant Morgan and his wife Saturday at the race track with an insider look at the No. 43 Eckrich race team.  The family will join the team on the starting grid before the race and split their time during the race between the team's pit box and a luxury suite.

"It's an honor to represent Eckrich and Richard Petty Motorsports to help recognize our military families," said Almirola.  "Each time Eckrich surprises a military family, it's awesome to see their reaction.  It's also exciting to know that Eckrich is making a difference in their lives.  It makes me feel proud to be a part of what they are doing."

Sergeant Morgan is currently active duty and serving in Dallas.  He has been enlisted in the Army since 2007 and has been deployed to Iraq to serve our country. Morgan and his wife were humbled by today's events.

"It's heartwarming," Morgan said. "This just makes us feel supported and it's an awesome experience. I joked that maybe we'd be getting something, but we never thought all this would happen.  We're really looking forward to this weekend."

The race experience and gift of free groceries is part of Eckrich's ongoing partnership with Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors.  Over the past three years, Eckrich has donated more than $750,000 to the organization and from May 1^st through July 4^th, Eckrich will again donate five cents for every purchase of specially marked products up to $250,000.

"Eckrich is proud to honor and thank our military families," said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. "We are also committed to our program and continue to aid our military families and give them once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and experiences. We couldn't do it without the help and support from partners like Operation Homefront, Aric Almirola, Richard Petty Motorsports and Kroger."

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 partners Medallion Bank and 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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