Military Family Honored by Eckrich, Publix and “The King” Richard Petty

Thanks to Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, a North Carolina military family was honored by Hall of Fame driver and American icon, “The King” Richard Petty Saturday afternoon before the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. 
 
Staff Sergeant Retired Melinda “Doc” Hamilton and her family were greeted at the race track by the Richard Petty Motorsports team and escorted to meet the legendary driver. Petty then surprised the family with a Publix gift card for $1,000 towards the purchase of groceries, courtesy of Eckrich.   
 
Eckrich, a sponsor of the famed No. 43, has previously partnered with Petty for similar events to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront, a national non-profit whose mission is to build strong, stable and secure military families.  Petty has been a supporter of military families for many years, but each time he meets a family it 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.”
 
The gift of groceries is part of the commitment by Eckrich to honor, thank and support military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront.  In its fourth year of partnership with Operation Homefront, Eckrich recently surpassed $1 million in donations since 2012.
 
“Like Eckrich, Publix and Richard Petty are great supporters of our military families,” said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. “We are proud to show our appreciation with a VIP racing experience and $1,000 in free groceries at Publix.” 

RPM PR