PepsiCo and Feed The Children Bring Help and Hope to Hartford Children in Need

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Jun 06, 2013, 12:00 ET

HARTFORD, Conn., June 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Feed The Children and PepsiCo partnered with Community Renewal Team and Price Rite to distribute two tractor-trailers full of food and essentials to help 800 Hartford area children and families in need. Families received food and essentials at Comcast Theatre, 61 Savitt Way in Hartford.

PepsiCo is a longtime Feed The Children partner and today donated Frito-Lay, Quaker and Aquafina brand products, and Price Rite donated shelf-stable foods and fresh produce to families as part of the event. Feed The Children partner agency Community Renewal Team 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 460,000 families across the country since it began in 2009.

Nearly one in seven children living in Hartford (12.8 percent) is considered impoverished. In fact, the number of children living in poverty in Connecticut (103,495) could fill the XL Center more than six 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 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.

About Community Renewal Project
In its 50th anniversary year, Community Renewal Team, Inc. is the designated Community Action Agency for Middlesex and Hartford Counties and is the largest non-profit provider of human services in Connecticut. The agency's mission is Preparing Our Community to Meet Life's Challenges. The mission is achieved each day by helping people and families change their lives and create their own opportunities in becoming self-reliant while making sure basic needs are met. CRT's programs include Head Start, Meals on Wheels, energy assistance, supportive housing and shelters, and many others, serving people in more than 60 cities and towns in both our core catchment area and throughout Connecticut. Visit the NEW www.crtct.org today.

SOURCE Frito-Lay North America