“Building the Future Together” continues for 2nd year to support children in 8 US cities

30 / 08 / 2021

• CSR
• news

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 to support children in underserved communities.

“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.”