PLANO, Texas, Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tostitos brand today announced the creation of the Tostitos Cesar Chavez Latino Scholarship Fund to benefit Latino students in the state of Arizona. Administered in partnership with the Cesar Chavez Foundation, the Fund will provide $500,000 over the next five years to qualified Latino students in Arizona in an effort to promote academic success.
As part of the Fund, 11 scholarships will be awarded annually by Tostitos and the Cesar Chavez Foundation. Scholarships will be granted based on academic excellence, leadership in extra-curricular activities, commitment to volunteer service in the community and financial need.
"We are so proud to partner with the Cesar Chavez Foundation to recognize Arizona's Latino youth through the creation of the Tostitos Cesar Chavez Latino Scholarship Fund," said Justin Lambeth, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America. "The Tostitos brand is all about helping people make connections. Through this Scholarship Fund, we're helping create one of the most meaningful connections possible for Latino students throughout Arizona – the chance to continue their educations and fulfill their dreams."
The 2011 Tostitos Cesar Chavez Latino Scholarship Fund program will also be highlighted during the annual Si Se Puede Gala. Presented by the Cesar Chavez Foundation, the gala honors the values, traditions and legacy of civil rights leader Cesar Chavez.
Upon receipt of their awards, scholarship recipients will be asked to complete 30 hours of service to the PepsiCo/Frito-Lay Adelante Employee Group. Adelante, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is Frito-Lay's employee resource group that works across the company's many locations and business functions to create a more inclusive corporate culture and support the many diverse communities in which Frito-Lay operates.
Tostitos is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. In addition to Frito-Lay, PepsiCo business units include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods, Gatorade and Tropicana. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate Web site, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fritolay.
PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.
SOURCE Frito-Lay