Eckrich, Kroger Give 1 Year of Free Groceries to Retired Vet

The Kroger Co. teamed up with Eckrich and country music star Randy Houser on July 18 to donate one year of free groceries to retired Army Specialist Christopher Warren, who was awarded a Purple Heart for his military service.

Warren and his wife, Amy, were escorted backstage before Houser's show at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, as part of his "Kick The Dust Up Tour." There, Warren met the country singer and was awarded his gift, courtesy of Eckrich.

The effort was part of the Eckrich campaign to honor military families through its partnership with Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors.

"Like Eckrich, Kroger and Randy are great supporters of our military families," said Chuck Gitkin, SVP, marketing, Smithfield Foods. "We are thankful for their service and are honored to surprise them with an exciting experience backstage with Randy Houser and a year of free groceries at Kroger."

Eckrich, in its fourth year of supporting Operation Homefront, recently surpassed $1 million in donations since the start of the program in 2012.