TOLEDO, Ohio, Nov. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hickory Farms, the specialty food and holiday gift retailer based in northwest Ohio, today announced the official grand opening of the brand's more than 700 storefronts and kiosks for the 2012 holiday season.

To kick off the holiday season, and as part of the brand's commitment to support our troops, Hickory Farms will donate a 10oz Summer Sausage to the military support group Operation Gratitude throughout November when select gift baskets are purchased, like Home for the Holidays. In addition, the brand will donate $100 to Operation Gratitude for every 1,000 "LIKES" Hickory Farms receives on Facebook.

"For over 60 years, Hickory Farms has been providing consumers with premium gift and entertaining options," said Mark Rodriguez, CEO, Hickory Farms. "We are proud to be a part of families' holiday traditions across the nation year after year and this season our customers have the chance to make a difference in a soldier's life when they purchase one of our select delicious gifts."

In addition, Hickory Farms is once again proud to sponsor the No Kid Hungry^® Campaign of Share Our Strength^®.  Share Our Strength is the leading national not-for-profit organization working to end childhood hunger in North America.  Customers have the opportunity to include a $1 donation with their purchase at a Hickory Farms store or online. For more information and a store locator, visit hickoryfarms.com. 

Customers can find Hickory Farms' award-winning sausage, cheese and other specialty items at their holiday stores in the U.S. and Canada, online at hickoryfarms.com, in catalogs, and at leading retailers throughout the season.

About Hickory Farms
Hickory Farms is a leading provider of specialty foods and holiday food gifts. A focus on personalized service has kept Hickory Farms products popular on gift lists since 1951. For the holiday season, more than 4,000 associates have been hired to support Hickory Farms' retail and online operations. Millions of North American customers choose Hickory Farms' savory sausages, favorite cheeses and other gourmet goods for their loved ones each holiday season. The company's signature products and eco-friendly gift boxes can be found online, in catalogs, in leading supermarkets and in retail shopping centers throughout the holiday season. For more information, please visit http://www.hickoryfarms.com/.

About Operation Gratitude
Operation Gratitude annually sends 100,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in harm's way, to their children left behind, to military families and veterans in financial distress due to unemployment, to emergency first responders and to Wounded Warriors recuperating in transition units. The organization's mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member's face and express to our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. Each package contains donated product valued at ~$125 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. For safety and security, assembling of packages occurs at the Army National Guard armory in Van Nuys, California. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 785,000 packages to American Military members and their children.

About Share Our Strength
Share Our Strength^®, a national nonprofit, is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting children with the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives.  Through its No Kid Hungry^® Campaign—a national effort to end childhood hunger in America by 2015—Share Our Strength ensures children in need are enrolled in effective federal nutrition programs; invests in community organizations fighting hunger; teaches families how to cook healthy, affordable meals; and builds public-private partnerships to end childhood hunger, at the state and city level. Working closely with the culinary industry and relying on the strength of its volunteers, Share Our Strength hosts innovative culinary fundraising events and develops pioneering cause marketing campaigns that support No Kid Hungry. Visit Strength.org to get involved.

SOURCE Hickory Farms