PEP PepsiCo Inc

PLANO, Texas, Aug. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- At the height of the pandemic, one in four children were food insecure. Although this number is improving, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect children across the U.S. ¹ To support students in underserved communities, Frito-Lay and Feed the Children are kicking off the second year of the "Building the Future Together" initiative in eight cities, reaching nearly 1,200 schools with food and essential items.

"Building the Future Together" is a continuation of the more than 10-year partnership between Feed the Children, a leading nonprofit focused on alleviating childhood hunger, and Frito-Lay. It is estimated students who engage with the program will receive necessary items – food, supplies and personal care items - over 100,000 times throughout this school year.

The program supplements school meals with shelf-stable food items while also providing educational supplies, personal care products and books. Underserved school districts across Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Orlando and Phoenix will benefit from the initiative again this year.

"Many people most impacted by the pandemic were at risk of food insecurity before COVID-19. As the largest food company in the U.S., we believe we succeed only when our local communities succeed. Therefore, we have a responsibility to provide children access to the food and resources they need," said Steven Williams, CEO, PepsiCo Foods North America. "The 'Building the Future Together' program reinforces our longstanding commitment to provide a level of food security for thousands of students needing a hand up from these resources."

In 2020, PepsiCo and Frito-Lay North America donated more than $60 million globally for PepsiCo's COVID-19 relief efforts, $22 million in Frito-Lay products to communities in need, served 74 million nutritious meals for at-risk students and families through PepsiCo's Food for Good program, Share Our Strength, Team Rubicon, GENYOUth, and more.

"We believe no child should go to bed hungry," said Travis Arnold, president and CEO of Feed the Children. "The past 18 months have been especially challenging. We must continue to look for innovative ways to defeat hunger. Through the 'Building the Future Together' initiative, we are working diligently with our partners at Frito-Lay to ensure that as needs rise, students continue to receive the food and supplies they need."

About Frito-Lay North America
Frito-Lay North America is the $18 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, N.Y. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos tortilla chips, Cheetos snacks, Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, SunChips multigrain snacks and Fritos corn chips. The company operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Canada, more than 200 distribution centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week through its direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http:www.fritolay.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.

About Feed the Children
At Feed the Children, we feed hungry kids. We envision a world where no child goes to bed hungry. In the U.S. and internationally, we are dedicated to helping families and communities achieve stable lives and to reducing the need for help tomorrow, while providing food and resources to help them today. We distribute product donations from corporate donors to local community partners, we provide support for teachers and students, and we mobilize resources quickly to aid recovery efforts when natural disasters strike. Internationally, we manage child-focused community development programs in 8 countries. We welcome partnerships because we know our work would not be possible without collaborative relationships. Visit feedthechildren.org for more information.

¹ www.feedthechildren.org

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SOURCE Frito-Lay North America