PURCHASE, N.Y., May 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of global food and beverage company PepsiCo, and Minges Bottling Group, Inc., a local partner in New Bern and fourth-generation Pepsi bottler, announced two grants that will support charities based in New Bern, N.C. – the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola.
The companies will give $25,000 donations to both the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina's 2018 Stop Summer Hunger Campaign and Swiss Bear's Social Enterprise Job Training program, which is executed in partnership with Catalyst Kitchens. The funding is part of the companies' long-term support of the New Bern community.
The first grant to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina's Stop Summer Hunger Campaign ensures that children continue to have access to nutritious food throughout the summer break when school meals are not available. Food insecurity and access to nutritious meals are a struggle for many Americans, including 13 million children who live in households that lack the means to get enough nutritious food on a regular basis.1 This grant is part of the PepsiCo Foundation's work to tackle hunger by increasing access to nutritious foods in communities in need, including in North Carolina, which has the eighth highest rate of food insecurity2 in the nation and nearly one in four children face hunger on a regular basis.3
"For many children, the end of school marks the beginning of hungry days and uncertainty around where their next meal will come from," said the Food Bank Eastern Regional Director George Young. "We are so appreciative that – for the third year in a row – the PepsiCo Foundation has partnered with us to provide nutritious meals to those who are hungry in our community so that kids in central and eastern North Carolina can enjoy being kids during their summer break."
The second grant to Swiss Bear, New Bern's downtown redevelopment organization, will provide food service job training to local low-income and homeless veterans and citizens in need through a partnership with Catalyst Kitchens, a national organization providing culinary training to homeless and disadvantaged individuals.
"As part of our Performance with Purpose vision, PepsiCo is focused on leaving a positive imprint on society, including in New Bern where our company's roots are deepest," said Sue Norton, Vice President of the PepsiCo Foundation. "These meals ensure that young people – the future leaders of the community – can continue to learn and grow during the summer months. And we are proud to support local residents as they enhance their food service skills and gain employment in jobs where they are nourishing others."
Minges Bottling Group, Inc. is a Pepsi bottler for 13 counties in Eastern North Carolina, including New Bern.
"We are proud to partner with the PepsiCo Foundation to support our community in New Bern," said Jeff Minges, CEO of Minges Bottling Group, Inc. "Our kids cannot be their best on an empty stomach and our neighbors cannot break the cycle of joblessness and poverty alone. With this donation, the PepsiCo Foundation and Minges Bottling Group, Inc. show how a global company and their local business partner can create stronger futures together."
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2017, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet, and empowering people around the world is what enables PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.
About PepsiCo Foundation
Established in 1962, the PepsiCo Foundation works with non-profit partners to develop innovative, sustainable solutions that address challenges in underserved communities around the world. The Foundation, along with PepsiCo and its employees, seeks to catalyze efforts that advance our Performance with Purpose 2025 goals related to increasing access to nutritious servings, providing access to safe water, partnering to increase recycling rates, and enabling young women to progress through school and be successful in the workforce. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Global-Citizenship.
About the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that has provided food for people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina for more than 30 years. The Food Bank serves a network of more than 800 partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults through warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, the Sandhills (Southern Pines), and Wilmington. In fiscal year 2016-2017, the Food Bank distributed more than 70 million pounds of food (over half of which was perishable) and non-food essentials through these agencies. Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. In these counties, more than 600,000 people struggle to access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for an active and healthy life. For more information, please visit www.foodbankcenc.org.
About Swiss Bear
Swiss Bear, Inc. is the Main Street organization for the City of New Bern and is responsible for leading the economic development of greater downtown New Bern. The Main Street approach is a common-sense, strategy driven framework that guides community-based revitalization efforts. Building off three-decades of success, this model harnesses the social, economic, physical, and cultural assets that set a place apart, and ultimately leads to tangible outcomes that benefit the entire community. For more information, please visit www.downtownnewbern.com/swiss-bear/.
1 No Kid Hungry, https://www.nokidhungry.org/who-we-are/hunger-facts
2 http://www.ncjustice.org/sites/default/files/Fact%20Sheet%20-%20Hunger%20in%20the%20Tar%20Heel%20State.pdf
3 https://www.foodshuttle.org/hunger-in-nc/
SOURCE PepsiCo Foundation