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

800 Families to Receive Food and Essentials

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Mar 06, 2013, 12:22 ET

PHOENIX, March 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Feed The Children and PepsiCo partnered with The Society of St. Vincent de Paul to distribute two tractor-trailers full of food and essentials to help 800 Phoenix area children and families in need. Families received food and essentials at The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (420 W. Watkins Rd.) in Phoenix.

PepsiCo is a longtime partner with Feed The Children and today donated Frito-Lay brand snacks and Pepsi brand beverages to families as part of the event. Feed The Children partner agency The Society of St. Vincent de Paul pre-identified families receiving the boxes. Each family received a 25-pound box of food, a 10-pound box of personal care items and AVON products. The boxes are designed to help 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 440,000 families across the country since it began in 2009.

Nearly one in three children living in Phoenix (31.4 percent) is considered impoverished. In fact, the number of children living in poverty in Phoenix (392,229) could fill US Airways Center more than 20 times.

"Many of the families on the Americans Feeding Americans Caravan considered themselves middle class just a few short years ago. Now they are making hard choices between paying bills and feeding their families," said Tony Sellars, spokesperson for Feed The Children. "With support from PepsiCo we can help make that choice a little easier 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 for local tastes; 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.

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SOURCE Frito-Lay North America