LISLE, Ill., Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Kretschmar Premium
Deli Meats and Cheeses is proud to continue helping make wishes
come true. Kretschmar, part of the John Morrell Food Group, a
subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, announced that it has renewed its
support of the non-profit organization Make-A-Wish® for
2014. Kretschmar's support includes the donation of more than
$100,000 to Make-A-Wish for the
second-consecutive year, bringing the donated total to over
$200,000 in the last two years. As
part of its donation, Kretschmar will help grant three specific
wishes to children with life-threatening conditions throughout
2014.
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"Kretschmar is very pleased to continue our relationship with
Make-A-Wish into 2014," said Michael
Sargent, brand manager for Kretschmar. "We were thrilled
with the results that we achieved in our first year and look
forward to making our campaign bigger and better in 2014. Above
all, we're excited to help make children's wishes come true and
give them a very special experience."
Kretschmar established its association with Make-A-Wish last
year. It donated over $100,000 to the
organization and helped grant three wishes to children in 2013 as
part of a campaign called "Legendary Wishes." The wishes were
granted in Kansas City, Mo.,
Peoria, Ill., and Gretna, Neb.
Additional funding was raised for each wish with help from
Kretschmar's retail partners. Sales of Make-A-Wish paper stars,
which were sold at its stores' registers for $1 donations, sandwich fundraisers and employee
donations, raised an additional $25,000 that was given to Make-A-Wish to enhance
wishes for children in the local areas.
"Kretschmar's efforts, along with our retail partners', have led
to one of our most rewarding and fulfilling campaigns," said
Chuck Gitkin, VP, Marketing,
Innovation and R&D, John Morrell Food Group. "Thanks to their
endeavors, we were able to go above and beyond our original
donation and provide additional support for Make-A-Wish. The smiles
on the kids' faces, the joy expressed from the families, the thank
you notes from our consumers, it made our hard work worthwhile. We
look forward to 2014 and continuing to help make wishes come
true."
Kretschmar's alliance with Make-A-Wish will be highlighted
through its retail partners in 2014. Photos of Kretschmar-sponsored
wishes will be displayed at supermarket deli counters. Kretschmar
and Make-A-Wish-branded signage will also be shown throughout the
supermarkets partnering with Kretschmar for the campaign.
"Kretschmar understands the value of community involvement to
their company and their people, and more importantly, through their
sponsorship they have seen firsthand the life-changing nature of a
wish-come-true," said Kathy Forshey,
vice president of corporate alliances for Make-A-Wish America. "We
are happy that Kretschmar is continuing their support of
Make-A-Wish and helping make even more wishes come true for
children with life-threatening medical conditions."
Kretschmar is a part of the John Morrell Food Group, a
subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, Inc. (NYSE: SFD). For more
information about Kretschmar Deli please
visit www.kretschmardeli.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 Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of
children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the
human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011
U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed
believe a wish-come-true has positive impacts on the health of
children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their
illness, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen
the entire family. Based in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish is one of the world's
leading children's charities, serving children in every community
in the United States and its
territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 25,000
volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country
every 38 minutes. It has granted more than 226,000 wishes since its
inception in 1980; nearly 14,000 in 2012 alone. Visit Make-A-Wish
at wish.org to learn more.
SOURCE Kretschmar Deli