Contact:
Eric Slutsky, GENYOUth, eric.slutsky@genyouthnow.org, 917-391-6709
GENYOUth AND TASTE OF THE NFL’S COLLECTIVE IMPACT DELIVERS OVER 93 MILLION SCHOOL MEALS TO FOOD-INSECURE STUDENTS NATIONWIDE
Presented by Frito-Lay and the PepsiCo Foundation, Super Bowl LVI’s pre-eminent purpose-driven culinary event held February 12, 2022 in Los Angeles will support GENYOUth’s Commitment to End Student Hunger
NEW YORK (May 5, 2022) – GENYOUth, a national nonprofit organization which creates healthier school communities, today announced that the collective impact of the Taste of the NFL totaled $1.5 million and will support the delivery of over 93 million school meals to food insecure students across the country. This purpose-driven culinary event, a staple of Super Bowl weekend for over 30 years, was held in Los Angeles on February 12, 2022 at the Petersen Automotive Museum with support from Frito-Lay and the PepsiCo Foundation.
Featuring top celebrity chefs including Andrew Zimmern, Carla Hall, Tim Love and Lasheeda Perry along with chefs from the PepsiCo Foundation’s Black Restaurant and IMPACTO Accelerator program and over 30 NFL Legends and current players including Rashad Jennings, Kyle Rudolph, Miles Sanders, James Proche, Luke Kuechly and Tyrod Taylor, this culinary joyride with heart attracted thousands of food and football fans and inspired corporations whose commitment to helping tackle food insecurity will make a difference in the lives of millions of children – especially the 1 in 6 children in the U.S. who face food insecurity and hunger each day. In addition, Taste of the NFL @Home, which aired Super Bowl Sunday (February 13) on the NFL Network, featured a delicious food competition with the chefs, event highlights including the Equality Lounge presented by the PepsiCo Foundation and a special Chalk Talk hosted by Emmy-award winning anchor James “JB” Brown in conversation with Olympians Lindsey Vonn, Allyson Felix and NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace.
Proceeds will benefit GENYOUth’s End Student Hunger fund, which provides equipment and resources to help deliver and distribute school meals to the 30 million students nationwide who rely on them for their daily nutrition needs. Through the support of the NFL, Frito-Lay, the PepsiCo Foundation, Blue Shield of California, MilkPEP, SAP and other corporate sponsors, the funds raised will positively impact Los Angeles area communities, leaving a lasting legacy of good nutrition in the host Super Bowl market and beyond. In total, over 628 school nutrition programs within all 32 NFL markets will receive grants to tackle student food insecurity coast to coast.
“GENYOUth, a long-standing NFL non-profit partner, has for more than a decade been leading the charge to improve youth health and wellness through its Fuel Up To Play 60 program with America’s Dairy Farmers, and its NFL FLAG-In-Schools programs,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business & League Events. “We are proud of GENYOUth’s commitment to help tackle food insecurity, and grateful for the engagement of NFL sponsors Frito-Lay and the PepsiCo Foundation, whose support of Taste of the NFL and implementation of critical programs to increase school meal participation is directly benefitting the Super Bowl’s host community of Los Angeles.”
Leaving a Lasting Legacy of Food Security in Los Angeles and California
In addition, the PepsiCo Foundation also partnered with GENYOUth’s End Student Hunger Fund to support the distribution of grants to schools nationwide and addressed childhood hunger in the Los Angeles area’s Para Los Niños schools by providing nutritious weekend meals to students over the next year. Anchored within Food for Good, PepsiCo’s worldwide commitment to advance food security through collaborations where employees live and work, the global goal is to help 50 million people gain ready access to nutritious foods by 2030. “Our support for GENYOUth and the Taste of the NFL underscores the PepsiCo Foundation’s commitments to food equity and sustainable school-based initiatives to address food insecurity and make a positive impact in the health and wellness of children,” said C.D. Glin, Vice President, Global Head of Philanthropy, PepsiCo Foundation.
The Generosity of Many Support GENYOUth’s Efforts to End Student Hunger
“Aligned with our core belief that the only hunger a child should face is the hunger to learn, programs like the Taste of the NFL enable us to help support the delivery of over 93 million school meals and underscores our mission to provide students in high need schools with the nourishment they need to learn and grow,” said Alexis Glick, CEO of GENYOUth. “I am grateful for the incredible support of the NFL, and our Taste of the NFL presenting sponsors, Frito-Lay and the PepsiCo Foundation. I also want to express my gratitude to our long-standing partners SAP and MilkPEP, and to Blue Shield of California, for providing grants to 70 California schools; and to our founding partners, America’s Dairy Farmers. To our amazing chefs, NFL players and sports super stars who generously extended their time, resources and treasure to help us end student hunger, I say thank you for leading the way.”
Planning is already underway for Taste of the NFL in 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona with customized sponsorship opportunities available. Contact Maureen Bausch, GENYOUth Chief Development Officer, at Maureen.Bausch@GENYOUthNow.org for sponsorship details.
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GENYOUth and PepsiCo
PepsiCo’s multi-faceted support has been critical to helping GENYOUth in its mission to build healthier school communities, including providing over $6 million since 2009 to support fighting child hunger and food insecurity. In 2022, PepsiCo is providing $1 million in funding support to GENYOUth and Taste of the NFL, including funding the Los Angeles Unified School District Kool Kitchens renovations program, and high needs schools in other PepsiCo and NFL club markets through GENYOUth’s End Student Hunger Fund. Encompassing everything from a Quaker Oats partnership for breakfast-equipment grants to schools; to serving as a founding partner of the Spanish-language version of GENYOUth’s flagship program, Fuel Up to Play 60 en Español; to the involvement of PepsiCo’s Healthy Living Initiative “Ready, Step, Move…Give!” in expanding GENYOUth’s Grab ‘n’ Go school breakfast cart program (creating over 10 million school breakfast opportunities); to its commitment to realizing zero hunger through its Food For Good Program, PepsiCo plays a critical role in advancing a more equitable domestic and global food system to ensure the communities in which they serve have food security and access to nutritious meals.
About Taste of the NFL
Since 1992, and every year since, Taste of the NFL has teamed up with many of the country’s top chefs and creatively partnered them with the NFL’s greatest players to raise money in support of food banks
and food insecurity efforts throughout the United States. To date, Taste of the NFL programs and events have raised and donated millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations addressing food insecurity in Super Bowl Host cities and the 32 NFL Club markets, providing more than an estimated 220 million meals for Americans in need. Taste of the NFL brings together exceptional cuisine, prominent chefs, and food influencers from around the country, NFL players, coaches, legends and fresh ideas, all to support the fight against hunger.
About GENYOUth
GENYOUth is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that creates healthier school communities. We convene a network of private and public partners, including Fortune 100 companies and foundations, to raise funds for youth wellness initiatives that give youth the inspiration, motivation, and programs to be healthy high-achieving students. GENYOUth’s flagship program, Fuel Up to Play 60, enrolls over 73,000 U.S. schools, reaching over 38 million students. Our school nutrition grants increase access to healthy school meals among
food insecure students. NFL FLAG-In-School is GENYOUth’s fastest growing program with over 20,000+ school communities reaching over 11 million students. AdVenture Capital brings out the entrepreneurial spirit and
creativity of students with the support of corporate mentors to solve real world problems. And starting in 2021, GENYOUth is the official charitable partner of Taste of the NFL, a purpose-driven Super Bowl culinary
experience which raises awareness and generates funds to fight hunger and food insecurity to support the organization’s commitment to end student hunger. For more information on GENYOUth, visit www.genyouthnow.org.
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 $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. “Winning with Purpose” reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business strategy and brands. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
About Frito-Lay North America
Frito-Lay North America is the $19 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/, on Twitter fritolay, on Instagram @fritolay and on Facebook Frito-Lay.
About The PepsiCo Foundation
Established in 1962, The PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo, invests in the essential elements of a sustainable food system with a mission to support thriving communities. Working with non-profits and experts around the globe, we’re focused on helping communities obtain access to food security, safe water, and economic opportunity. We strive for tangible impact in the places where we live and work—collaborating with industry peers, local and international organizations, and our employees to affect large-scale change on the issues that matter to us and are of global importance. Learn more at www.pepsico.com/sustainability/philanthropy.