Mountain Dew Celebrates Atlanta's Restaurants & Frontline Healthcare Workers During NBA All-Star 2021 With "The Big Give Back"

The Big Give Back Supports Local Restaurants, Feeds Healthcare Workers, and Covers DoorDash Delivery Fees in Honor of the NBA's Greatest Big Man Shaquille O'Neal on his Birthday

News provided by

PepsiCo

Mar 05, 2021, 08:00 ET

ATLANTA, March 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mountain Dew and Pepsi Stronger Together – PepsiCo's series of tailored community grassroots-based programs – together with NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, will thank frontline healthcare workers, small businesses, and consumers in Atlanta, just in time for NBA All-Star 2021.

The NBA All-Star Mountain Dew and Pepsi Stronger Together partnership will engage four minority-owned Atlanta restaurants – The Slutty Vegan, Big Dave's Cheesesteaks, Slim & Husky's, and Scoville Hot Chicken – to deliver 2,000 surprise lunches to hospital workers at Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center and Northside Hospital this Friday, March 5. The deliveries will feature specially-made "All-Star Meals," each highlighting a local Atlanta favorite or a well- known dish. As an added benefit to the four participating restaurants, each will receive a $10,000 grant from Mountain Dew, through the Georgia Restaurant Association, to help ease the burden they have endured as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers across Georgia will also be delighted that the brand is covering all DoorDash delivery fees – a promotion that will be automatically applied to all orders made through March 7, the night of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game.

"Supporting local communities and small businesses is core to the Pepsi Stronger Together program. We are thrilled to participate in this initiative with Mountain Dew and its valued Atlanta partners in recognition of those who help make the city so great," said Derek Lewis, President, South Division, PepsiCo Beverages North America. "In the true spirit of NBA All-Star, this is our way of celebrating some of the most deserving All-Stars in the community. Not least of which is Shaquille O'Neal, a valued partner of Pepsi Stronger Together and such an integral force in the Atlanta community."

In honor of Shaquille O'Neal's birthday, cupcakes made by local baker Pastry Addict will also be included with each meal given to hospital workers – all as a way for the NBA Legend himself to share a slice of his birthday cake with the true all-stars of Atlanta.

"The Georgia Restaurant Association is proud and honored to be working with Pepsi on this amazing opportunity to support Georgia's independent restaurants," said Karen Bremer, President and CEO of Georgia Restaurant Association. "While all restaurants have faced challenges due to COVID, independent restaurants have had the hardest time being able to shift and adapt."

Mountain Dew will continue to paint the town green with exclusive NBA All-Star signage across Atlanta (image attached), and will be giving out free product to Atlanta residents through their COVID-friendly drive through at select retail locations.

About MTN DEW

MOUNTAIN DEW®, a product of PepsiCo North America Beverages, is the No. 1 flavored carbonated soft drink in the U.S. With its one-of-a-kind citrus taste, MOUNTAIN DEW exhilarates and quenches with every sip. In addition to the original MOUNTAIN DEW and DIET MOUNTAIN DEW®, the permanent DEW® product line includes MTN DEW® KICKSTART™, MOUNTAIN DEW CODE RED®, MOUNTAIN DEW VOLTAGE®, MTN DEW® ZERO SUGAR, new MTN DEW MAJOR MELON™ and MTN DEW MAJOR MELON™ ZERO SUGAR. For more information, check out www.mountaindew.com, www.facebook.com/mountaindew or follow on Twitter @mountaindew.

About Pepsi Stronger Together

Pepsi Stronger Together is a national initiative to empower and engage communities around the country by providing tailored programming and resources that bring people together. It was conceived with the idea that now, more than ever, we must foster a sense of connection and belonging, starting by investing locally. Launched in May of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic - engaging its network of partners in the South to shine a spotlight on essential front-line workers in a variety of industries - Pepsi Stronger Together was expanded in October of 2020 by partnering with NBA teams and charitable organizations to foster, among other things, community and police relations. Find out how to get involved in your community at pepsistrongertogether.com and follow the conversation on social media at @pepsistrongertogether.

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.

SOURCE PepsiCo