Randy Houser and "Operation Inspiration"

For the past three years, Eckrich's "Operation Inspiration" campaign has honored, thanked and supported 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. The partnership has raised over $750,000 so far in their time together.

This past Saturday, Jackson Leflar and his family became a recipients of that inspiration through Randy Houser, who was performing at Hillsdale County Fair. Before the show started, Leflar and his family were met by Houser's management and taken backstage to meet Randy, who surprised them with $1000 Kroger gift card donated by Eckrich.

This isn't a one shot deal for Randy Houser. He has been paying tribute to military families all summer long and is helping Eckrich host and honor military families at his concerts. A man with a huge heart for those who serve, Randy has supported the military and their families, performing for service members stationed in Iraq and here at home for a long time.

In a press release, he talked about his support of our military families, saying, "Any time I can spend some of my time with a military family is special for me. These families have sacrificed so much so I can go out and perform and do what I love. It was great to meet the Leflar family, hear their story and have them enjoy the concert courtesy of my partner, Eckrich."

Chuck Gitkin, Vice President, Marketing, Innovation and R&D for John Morrell Food Group, added, "Like Eckrich, Kroger and Randy are great supporters of our military families. We are thankful for their service and are honored to surprise them with an exciting experience backstage with Randy Houser and $1,000 in free groceries at Kroger."