Frito-Lay, Quaker, and PepsiCo Foundation Team Up with Former Arizona Cardinal Michael Bankson, GENYOUth and Additional Partners to Help Tackle Student Hunger In Arizona Schools Serving At-risk Children
TUCSON, Ariz. (January 19, 2023) – As excitement continues to grow for Super Bowl LVII, GENYOUth, the national non-profit organization founded by America’s dairy farmers and the NFL to create healthier school communities, announced today a major expansion of its Super Bowl LVII Mission 57: End Student Hunger community initiative. With the support of purpose-minded partners, including Frito-Lay North America, The Quaker Oats Company, and the PepsiCo Foundation, in collaboration with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and the Dairy Council of Arizona, Grab and Go meal equipment and NFL FLAG-In-Schools kits are being donated to a total of 20 schools in the Tucson Unified and Casa Grande Elementary School Districts.
Students at John B. Wright Elementary School in Tucson – along with former Arizona Cardinal and NFL Legend Michael Bankson, and school district and government and community leaders including Tucson Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo – helped celebrate the arrival of the school meal equipment, which include breakfast/meal carts, mobile milk coolers, and NFL FLAG-In-Schools kits.
The donation to Tucson Unified School District¹, Arizona’s third largest school district – as well as to Casa Grande Elementary School District – is part of Mission 57’s larger commitment to providing schools throughout Arizona with a total of 57 equipment packages to help tackle food insecurity and increase physical activity in the lead up to Taste of the NFL, Super Bowl LVII’s premiere purpose-driven culinary event, on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at Chateau Luxe in Phoenix. With additional support provided by BHHS Legacy Foundation, Fiesta Bowl Charities, Fry’s Food Stores, the ISA Foundation, and Frontdoors Media, Mission 57 will provide access for over 31,000 Arizona students to over 8.5 million school meals.
“Grab and Go meal equipment is proven to be highly successful in increasing access to and participation in school meals, by reducing barriers to school breakfast in the cafeteria including lack of time and stigma. This is particularly important in Arizona, where nearly one in five² children are living in food insecurity yet the state ranks in the bottom half of all states in school breakfast participation³,” said Ann Marie Krautheim, M.A., R.D., L.D., CEO of GENYOUth. “We are grateful for the ongoing support of Frito-Lay, Quaker, and the PepsiCo Foundation in providing critical funding for school nutrition equipment in Tucson Unified and Casa Grande Elementary school districts.
“In the Tucson Unified School District, 77 percent of students qualify for free or reduced meals⁴. Having a nutritious school breakfast is a critical lifeline to help our students learn, thrive, and succeed in the classroom,” said Dr. Gabriel Trujillo, Superintendent of Tucson Unified School District. “I would like to thank GENYOUth, Frito-Lay, Quaker, the PepsiCo Foundation, and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee for their donation of new Grab and Go meal equipment packages to our schools and for their commitment to support students in Tucson and across Arizona.”
“I am proud to be supporting Mission 57: End Student Hunger in Arizona and participating in today’s school event in Tucson Unified School District,” said Michael Bankson, former Arizona Cardinal and NFL Legend. “Tackling student food insecurity needs to be a top priority, as daily school meals along with regular physical activity leads to improved performance and outcomes.”
“Frito-Lay and PepsiCo Foods North America are proud to support GENYOUth in providing resources to address food insecurity within Arizona schools,” said Steven Williams, CEO, PepsiCo Foods North America. “With the support of the PepsiCo Foundation, Frito-Lay and Quaker, we are committed to addressing the needs of the communities in which we serve and providing the necessary resources to enable them to thrive.”
“With our long-standing history of uplifting the communities where we live and work, Frito-Lay, Quaker and the PepsiCo Foundation – through the Food for Good program – are providing equitable access to critical resources to help food insecure communities throughout the United States,” said C.D. Glin, President, PepsiCo Foundation, and Global Head of Philanthropy, PepsiCo. “Supporting GENYOUth’s Mission 57 and Taste of the NFL initiatives allows us to continue our focus on and commitment to Arizona’s most vulnerable population – food insecure students. Through Mission 57 alone, our support – which includes a total of 22 Grab and Go meal equipment packages in high need Arizona communities — will impact over 12,000 students and help increase access to over 3.3 million school meals.”
“The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is proud of the work that Mission 57 is doing to create long-term social and economic impact across high need Arizona school districts. As we head into the Mission 57 home stretch leading into Super Bowl LVII, we thank GENYOUth and all partners and supporters who are making students’ health and well-being a top priority today and for years to come,” said Jay Parry, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee.
“Dairy farmers in Arizona and throughout the nation are committed to the health and well-being of America’s children. We are proud to be partnering with GENYOUth and other partners to ensure students can participate in school meals and have access to nutritious dairy products,” said Tammy Baker, General Manager, Dairy Council of Arizona.
For more information on Mission 57: End Student Hunger and to purchase tickets to Taste of the NFL, visit GENOUthNow.org and TasteoftheNFL.com. To help GENYOUth End Student Hunger, visit GENYOUthNow.org/donate/.
¹Tucson Unified School District schools which are receiving Grab and Go meal equipment packages include Morgan Maxwell K-8 School, Pistor Middle School, Pueblo High School, Catalina High School, Wright Elementary School, Myers Elementary School, Palo Verde High School, Dietz K-8 School, and Secrist Middle School. ² Stacker via Feeding America data (2020) ³ Food Research & Action Center ⁴ MMS
About GENYOUth
GENYOUth is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that creates healthier school communities. Founded by America’s dairy farmers and the NFL, GENYOUth convenes 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-Schools is the fastest-growing youth sport in the country (ages 6-14) with over 32,000 flag kits to school communities reaching over 15 million students. AdVenture Capital brings out the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity of students with the support of corporate mentors to solve real world problems. GENYOUth is the official charitable partner of Taste of the NFL, a purpose-driven Super Bowl culinary experience that raises awareness and generates funds to fight hunger and food insecurity to support the organization’s commitment to end student hunger.
About Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee
The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is an Arizona non-profit responsible for planning and executing a successful Super Bowl LVII in 2023. The goal of the Host Committee is to galvanize local stakeholders in a united approach to hosting the largest single-day sporting event in the world by maximizing positive media exposure, fueling the economic engine of Arizona, and leaving a lasting legacy. The Host Committee serves as liaison between the NFL and all regional efforts, culminating with the game in 2023 at State Farm Stadium, home to the Arizona Cardinals. This is the fourth time Arizona is hosting the Super Bowl, following 1996, 2008 and 2015. Only four other sites (South Florida, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Tampa Bay) hold this distinction. For more information, visit azsuperbowl.com or follow @AZSuperBowl on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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 $79 billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
Dairy Frito-Lay North America
Frito-Lay North America is the $18 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.pepsicofoundation.com.
Dairy Quaker
The Quaker Oats Company, headquartered in Chicago, is a unit of PepsiCo, Inc., one of the world’s largest consumer packaged goods companies. For more than 140 years, Quaker’s brands have served as symbols of quality, great taste, and nutrition. Quaker® Oats, Quaker® Rice Cakes and Quaker Chewy® Granola Bars are consumer favorites. For more information, please visit www.QuakerOats.com, www.Facebook.com/Quaker, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @Quaker.
Dairy Council® of Arizona
Dairy Council® of Arizona (DCAZ) is the not-for-profit, nutrition education branch of Arizona Milk Producers. Staffed by registered dietitians, DCAZ strives to contribute to the achievement of optimal health for the Arizona community by providing nutrition education based on the latest scientific research and the concept of a balanced diet that includes milk and milk products. To address hunger initiatives in the local community, DCAZ provides food preparation and storage equipment to food banks and school food service programs.
Tucson Unified School District
Tucson Unified School District is Southern Arizona’s largest district, educating more than 48,000 students. TUSD offers extensive learning opportunities for children, including Advanced Placement, GATE, and International Baccalaureate, free full-day kindergarten, a focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), studies in seven world languages, fine arts, before and after school programs, and more. TUSD has proudly served Tucson families since 1867.
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Contact
Eric Slutsky, GENYOUth, eric.slutsky@genyouthnow.org, 917-391-6709
Leslie Lenhart, Tucson Unified School District, leslie.lenhart@tusdl.org, 520-225-6501
Lesley Miller, Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, lmiller@azsuperbowl.com, 480-225-5535