CHICAGO, Aug. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Feed The Children and PepsiCo partnered with The Salvation Army and local retailer Jewel Osco to distribute two tractor-trailers full of food and essentials to help 800 Chicago area children and families in need. Families received food and essentials at U.S. Cellular Field (Lot C - 333 West 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60616) in Chicago.
PepsiCo is a longtime Feed The Children partner and today donated varieties of Frito-Lay snacks, Quaker products, Life cereal and Sierra Mist beverages to families in need. Jewel Osco also donated canned food as part of the event. Feed The Children partner agency The Salvation Army pre-identified families receiving the donations. Each family also received a 25-pound box of food, a 10-pound box of personal care items and AVON products. The boxes are designed to help support a family of four for up to one week.
The distribution is part of Feed The Children's Americans Feeding Americans Caravan, which has helped more than 465,000 families across the country since it began in 2009.
One in three children living in Chicago (33.2 percent) is considered impoverished. In fact, the number of children living in poverty in Illinois (600,045) could fill U.S. Cellular Field more than 14 times.
"Many of the families we serve on the Americans Feeding Americans Caravan are making hard choices between paying bills and feeding their families," said Kevin Hagan, Feed The Children president and CEO. "With support from PepsiCo we are helping to ease the burden for families struggling in this economy."
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is the largest social service organization in the world and the single largest direct provider of social services in Chicago and the state of Illinois. The Army operates 200 points of entry in neighborhoods across the greater Chicago area, providing disaster relief, shelter, meals, rehabilitation programs, child care and head start, senior services and more. On any given night, more than 1,000 people are sleeping under a Salvation Army roof. In 2010, The Army celebrated 125 years of service in Chicago. The Salvation Army is there every day, 24-hours-a-day in Chicago and throughout the country providing disaster relief to people in crisis. For more information, visit www.salarmychicago.org.
About Feed The Children
Founded in 1979, Feed The Children's mission is to provide hope and resources for those without life's essentials. A BBB Wise Giving Alliance accredited charity, Feed The Children is one of the largest charities based in the U.S., providing more than 350,000 children around the world with a hot, nourishing meal every day. Here in the U.S., nearly 10 million people receive assistance each year from food and supplies distributed through over 1,200 local partner agencies. For more information, visit www.feedthechildren.org
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.
SOURCE Frito-Lay North America