Illinois, U.S.A. – Everyone loves a happy ending. That sentiment is proving true with a popular online video that pays tribute to American military families and their emotional reunions. The two-minute tribute, created by Eckrich in support of Operation Homefront, has already surpassed half a million views on YouTube since its June 5 release. The video is set to the music of Iron and Wine’s rendition of “Love Vigilantes” by New Order.

Eckrich, part of the John Morrell Food Group, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, partnered this year with Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency financial assistance to the families of United States service members and wounded warriors. Through the partnership, Eckrich donated a portion of every purchase of specially marked products from May 1 through July 4 to Operation Homefront, up to $200,000. Representatives from Eckrich presented Operation Homefront with a $200,000 check at a ceremony at the Operation Homefront Village in San Antonio, Texas, on April 28.

“We have been overwhelmed by the response and support of the online video that highlights military family homecomings,” said Charles Gitkin, vice president, marketing, innovation and R&D for the John Morrell Food Group. “This was an effort for us to show our appreciation to Operation Homefront and our military families. It’s been wonderful to see so many others who have joined us in this support. We can only hope this video can touch more people and continue to make a difference and bring recognition to an amazing organization.”

The partnership is supported with a broader Eckrich marketing campaign that features television, radio, online and outdoor advertising, as well as using Facebook to showcase military families with “meet-a-family” videos and stories.

The efforts of Eckrich to support Operation Homefront extended recently to the NASCAR world, where Eckrich has a partnership with the No. 43 Ford of Richard Petty Motorsports. The three organizations are coming off a weekend of successfully raising awareness in Indianapolis, Indiana, where they recognized a local military family with a surprise visit from No. 43 Eckrich Ford driver Aric Almirola.

The partnering organizations also unveiled a specially designed coin bank, made out of a real racing tire, on June 29 at Kentucky Speedway to encourage fans to donate spare change for the campaign. The bank is traveling to other Eckrich-sponsored races this summer – a schedule that included Indianapolis this past weekend and Michigan International Speedway on August 19.

“We can’t thank Eckrich enough for everything they have already done to support Operation Homefront,” said Amy Palmer, chief operating officer of Operation Homefront. “We continue to hear great feedback about the online video. It’s a tribute to our military families that over half a million people have already viewed this feature and we hope it only continues to spread.”

After watching the tribute video on YouTube, viewers are encouraged to visit and “like” the Eckrich Facebook page to see more videos and stories and to learn additional ways that they can support American military families.

Image Courtesy of  Greg Randles / Shutterstock.com

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Mclean, U.S.A. – On July 27, 2012 Lynette Spano, founder of Stars, Stripes, & Hearts, announced that her organization is producing a national benefit concert in Washington, D.C. at the historic Warner Theater on October 15, 2012, in recognition and support of Latino/Hispanic American military service members and their families.

Spano, a Puerto Rican American, is among the most successful Latina businesswomen in America. As a way of giving back, she created the first ever online wall of honor, www.awarriorswall.org, where anyone can tweet a photo of a loved one serving in the military.

Her latest and most ambitious effort is the creation of Stars, Stripes, & Hearts, dedicated to raising funds through national benefit concerts in support of exceptional health and education-related charities that provide comprehensive and culturally competent support services to Latino/Hispanic military families impacted by the invisible wounds of war.

Her first concert will be held during National Hispanic Heritage Month. All proceeds from the Bandera y Corazones concert series will be donated to charitable organizations that provide relief to Latino/Hispanic service members and families impacted by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), depression and other invisible wounds of war. Latinos/Hispanics have higher rates of PTSD than any other ethnicity or race in America.

Although all proceeds from the concerts will be donated to charities that provide assistance to military veterans and families facing challenging circumstances, the concerts themselves will be a celebration – a celebration highlighting the strength, honor and commitment of our men and women in uniform and the vast contributions of Latinos and Hispanics serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Invitations to perform at this year’s concert have been extended to leading Latin recording artists, such as Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.

“Latino/Hispanic families, statistically speaking, have suffered more than any other ethnicity in America during the recent military conflicts overseas,” says Spano. “However, no one has thanked them in a way that recognizes who they are, where they come from or how important they are to the strength, vitality and security of this great nation.”

For information, please visit http://www.starsstripesandhearts.org/ or e-mail StarsStripesandHearts@gmail.com.

Image Courtesy of  s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

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