LISLE, III – Kretschmar® Premium Meats & Cheeses has partnered with Festival Foods of Minnesota and country music star Easton Corbin to donate $1,000 to Make-A-Wish® Minnesota. Kretschmar made the donation in St. Paul Monday as part of its Legendary Wishes campaign, which helps Make-A-Wish grant wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses.
Three-time American Country Award winner Easton Corbin invited 16-year-old cancer survivor Miranda and her family backstage before his performance. Corbin presented a donation of $1,000 to help Make-A-Wish Minnesota grant future wishes just like Miranda's, her wish to visit Hawaii will be granted in two weeks.
"It was an honor to present Make-A-Wish Minnesota with a check for $1,000 to help bring more wishes to life," said Corbin. "I'm proud to show my support for this cause. This is something really special that Kretschmar is doing across the country to make dreams come true for children with life-threatening medical conditions."
Miranda and her family and friends were also treated to a live performance by Corbin, Kretschmar's brand ambassador for 2016. Easton hit the music scene in 2009 with a #1 single, "A Little More Country Than That" and won several Breakthrough Artist awards. Since then, Corbin has released three hit albums with songs including "Roll With It," "Lovin' You is Fun," and "All Over the Road." Corbin has a full schedule in 2016 and is currently touring with Carrie Underwood, as well as performing in his own headlining shows.
"This has been an amazing experience and I am honored Kretschmar invited me to represent Make-A-Wish Minnesota," said Miranda. "I listen to country music all the time, so meeting Easton Corbin was so cool! His music helps bring a smile to so many faces and I know this donation will too."
Since partnering with Make-A-Wish in 2012, Kretschmar has donated more than $600,000 nationally and sponsored more than 12 wishes with local chapters through its Legendary Wishes campaign. Along with its retail partners, Kretschmar has raised additional funding through in-store sales of Make-A-Wish paper stars, employee donations and sandwich fundraisers. Those efforts have raised more than $85,000, which was given to local Make-A-Wish chapters to grant even more wishes.
"Supporting Make-A-Wish and making wishes come true for children is something very gratifying for us," said Michael J. Sargent, Senior Brand Manager, Kretschmar. "Our contribution can support Make-A-Wish throughout the year, and we're thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to help fulfill special wishes for children."
This year, Kretschmar helped grant three wishes across the country. In Joplin, Mo., Kretschmar teamed up with Make-A-Wish Missouri to grant a 17-year-old's wish to restore his father's 1970 pick-up. Along with Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee, Kretschmar granted the wish of a teen who wanted to attend the CMA Music Festival in Nashville. The 17-year-old experienced the country music trip of a lifetime; four days of VIP treatment in the Music City, including an all-star concert at Nissan Stadium and a private Kretschmar Country concert. Kretschmar also helped send a 14-year-old girl to the San Francisco Zoo through Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana.
For more information about Kretschmar Deli and its involvement with Make-A-Wish visit www.KretschmarDeli.com or www.Facebook.com/KretschmarDeli.
Kretschmar is a brand of Smithfield Foods.
About Kretschmar
Kretschmar® Premium Deli Meats & Cheeses has meant quality since 1883. Our hams are made with a unique hardwood smoking process. Kretschmar poultry and beef are hand-trimmed using the finest cuts. Our full line of Off-The-Bone deli meats are delicately sliced from the leanest, most tender cuts. And our premium Wisconsin cheeses repeatedly win in competitions world-wide. Try the Legendary Taste of Kretschmar today. For great recipes and more, like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/kretschmardeli or visit our website at www.kretschmardeli.com.
About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan's Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Kretschmar®, Gwaltney®, Curly's®, Margherita®, Carando®, Healthy Ones®, Krakus®, Morliny®, and Berlinki®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.
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. Headquartered 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 28,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 35 minutes. It has granted more than 270,000 wishes since its inception in 1980; more than 14,800 in 2015 alone. Visit Make-A-Wish at www.wish.org to learn more.
About Easton Corbin
Mercury Nashville recording artist Easton Corbin is lauded for his traditional country sound, authentic lyrics and mastery of understatement. American Songwriter says, "Easton Corbin has one of those rare, glorious voices that was made-just made-for singing country music." His self-titled debut album released in 2010 and spawned back-to-back hits "A Little More Country Than That" and "Roll With It;" making him the first country male artist in 17 years to have his first two consecutive singles reach No. 1. In 2012 the Gilchrist County Florida native released his sophomore album, All Over The Road, which included the Top 5 hits "Lovin' You Is Fun" and "All Over The Road." Corbin set a career-best debut on Country Airplay with his top 5 hit single, "Baby Be My Love Song," from his No. 1 debuting album About To Get Real. His current single "Yup" is climbing the country singles chart. Corbin is currently on tour with Carrie Underwood's The Storyteller Tour.
About Knowlan's Super Markets, Inc.
Festival Foods stores in St. Paul and Minneapolis are owned by Knowlan's Super Markets, Inc. The company, based in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, owns six Festival Foods stores and two Knowlan's Fresh Foods stores. Knowlan's Super Markets, Inc. is a privately held company founded in 1905. Twin Cities native Lauri Youngquist, President and CEO, currently owns and operates the chain. Younquist's sister, Marie Arthun, is also an owner. More information is available at FestivalFoods.net.
Source: Smithfield Foods
