Nathan's Famous and KaBOOM! Head West With Ready. Set. PLAY.

LISLE, Ill., June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Nathan's Famous and KaBOOM! headed west this week to bring a little piece of Coney Island to the Continentals of Omega Boys & Girls Club in Vallejo, Calif. The world famous hot dog company and the national non-profit dedicated to giving kids the play they need to thrive honored the Club's youth with an afternoon of fun as a part of their Ready. Set. PLAY. program which celebrates play and the "playmakers" who are making play possible in communities around the country.

The Continentals of Omega Boys & Girls Club was selected for the event because of their passion for the importance of play for youth and their commitment to promoting and protecting balanced and active play. Nathan's and KaBOOM! has staged similar events across the country as part of Ready. Set. PLAY. to honor organizations and schools and to further encourage activities that promote active play as a part of healthy development of children.

"We really enjoy our partnership with KaBOOM! and are proud to honor those working to make balance and active play an important part of the lives of children and communities around the country," said Mike Paribello, senior director of marketing for the John Morrell Food Group, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods and licensing partner of Nathan's Famous. "Through Ready. Set. PLAY., we've been able to host some really fun events for organizations such as the  Continentals of Omega Boys and Girls Club which is fitting because Nathan's is all about fun, family and community."

"The fundamentals of healthy, active lifestyles begin at home with our parents and in our communities," said KaBOOM! CEO and Founder Darell Hammond. "With support from Nathan's Famous through Ready. Set. PLAY., we are able to bring play opportunities to communities across the nation and inspire families to participate and incorporate balance and active play with their everyday lives." 

The fun-filled afternoon included the flavors of Coney Island with delicious Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, carnival-like games, giveaways and much more. The No. 43 Nathan's Famous Ford, a replica of the No. 43 Ford driven by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Aric Almiorla for Richard Petty Motorsports, was also on hand at the event. Plus, a special drawing was held for the youth with the winners receiving tickets to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, June 22.

"Our vision is to provide a world-class club experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who walks through our doors, with all Club Kids on track to graduate from high school and a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle," said Wendy Jones, chief professional officer, Continentals of Omega Boys & Girls Club. "We are super thrilled to partner with KaBOOM! and Nathan's Famous and honored to be a part of their Ready. Set. PLAY. program. We encourage kids to get outside, be active, explore and have fun!"

For more information, please visit Nathan's Famous and KaBOOM! online.

About Nathan's

Nathan's is a Russell 2000 Company that currently distributes its products in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Cayman Islands and nine foreign countries through its restaurant system, foodservice sales programs and product licensing activities. The Nathan's restaurant system currently consists of 329 units, comprised of 324 franchised units and five company-owned units (including one seasonal unit). Nathan's was ranked #55 on the Forbes list of the Best Small Companies in America and was listed as the Best Small Company in New York State in October 2013. Last year, over 430 million Nathan's Famous hot dogs were sold. For additional information about Nathan's please visit our website at www.nathansfamous.com.

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 KaBOOM!

KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to the bold new goal of ensuring that all children, particularly the 16 million American children living in poverty, get the balance of active  play they need to become healthy and successful adults. KaBOOM! has been a powerful champion for play since its founding in 1996, working with partners to build, improve and open more than 15,000 playgrounds, engage more than 1,000,000 volunteers and serve  more than 6,600,000 children. KaBOOM! creates and catalyzes great places to play, inspires, empowers and leads play advocates, and educates and elevates the societal conversation about the importance of play in children's lives. For more information, visit kaboom.org/act or follow the conversation on why #playmatters at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.

About Continentals of Omega Boys & Girls Club

The Continentals of Omega Boys & Girls Club is part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) working to help youth of all backgrounds develop the qualities needed to become responsible citizens and leaders. We offer daily access to a broad range of programs in five core program areas:  Character and Leadership Development; Education and Career Development; Health and Life Skills; The Arts; and Sports, Fitness and Recreation, as well as several specialized initiatives. All programs are designed to drive positive outcomes for youth and reinforce necessary life skills. www.omegaboysandgirlsclub.com

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SOURCE Nathan’s Famous