Stacy's To Award $200,000 In First-Ever "Stacy's Rise Program" To Help Female Entrepreneurs Grow Their Food Businesses

PLANO, Texas, March 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As a brand founded by a female entrepreneur, Stacy's Pita Chips believes in celebrating strong, hard-working women with entrepreneurial passions. In honor of Women's History Month, Stacy's is continuing its commitment to stand with women by endeavoring to raise $200,000 this month to support United Way's efforts to reduce the funding gap for female-founded businesses. Stacy's is also announcing the launch of its inaugural Stacy's Rise Program, extending the brand's support of female entrepreneurs by awarding another $200,000 to help women nourish their food business ambitions. Together, the two efforts have potential to result in a total of $400,000 committed to support female-founded businesses in 2019.

"Women have always embodied the same capabilities, courage and grit as their male counterparts to create and operate successful businesses," said Ciara Dilley, vice president of marketing, Stacy's Snacks. "However, studies have shown that they continue to lack equal access, growth opportunities and financial investment – receiving only about 2 percent of all venture funding, despite owning 38 percent of the businesses in the country. As a female-founded brand, Stacy's Pita Chips is determined to reduce that disparity and are proud that the Stacy's Rise program will continue building upon a legacy focused on giving female entrepreneurs the nourishment they need to accomplish their dreams."

For the past two years, Stacy's mission to raise awareness for female empowerment and equality has been displayed front and center during Women's History Month through original artwork take-overs of Stacy's Pita Chip bags. This year, Stacy's will continue to celebrate Women's History Month by releasing a third collection of its popular limited-edition bags – designed by all female artists – depicting the six key stages of a female entrepreneur's journey: Inspiration, Courage, Grit, Nourishment, Success and Community. To commemorate the release, Stacy's is issuing a rally call to consumers to help match the brand's $100,000 commitment to United Way's "Women United" program and helping fund microgrants for women entrepreneurs who are interested in opening their own business or growing their existing business. Consumers can join Stacy's in the goal to raise a total of $200,000 to support this critical work by visiting www.stacyssnacks.com and donating $10 to receive one of the six limited-edition bags and a commemorative 8x10 print of the featured artwork.

"Women United is a global, growing force consisting of more than 75,000 female leaders who are galvanized to make real and lasting change in their communities," Lisa Bowman, Chief Marketing Officer, United Way Worldwide. "We are proud to work with Stacy's Pita Chips to support current and future female business owners with funding to sustain their growth and to empower them join the fight for the health, education and economic stability of their communities. 

Beyond its Women's History Month partnership with United Way, Stacy's is expanding its support of female-founded businesses through the launch of its first-ever Stacy's Rise Program that will award an additional $200,000 to help women grow their food-focused businesses. Working with Alice, a leading online resource for women and other underrepresented entrepreneurs, every applicant will receive education, support, mentorship, and guidance to grow their companies. A team of leading business founders will serve as judges to select five female entrepreneur finalists who will be awarded a $20,000 funding prize, entrepreneurial advice and network building support. One of these women will win an additional $100,000 grand prize award to help take their business to the next level.

"Starting with a food cart in Boston, it took a lot of hard work and perseverance to grow Stacy's Pita Chips into what is today," said Stacy Madison, founder of Stacy's Pita Chips. "As a female business owner who has experienced the challenges and journey first-hand, I recognize the importance of empowering women to take leadership roles and pursue their entrepreneurial efforts. I'm so proud to see the continued commitment that Stacy's Pita Chips has to carve a path towards equality for female entrepreneurs so that they too can achieve their dreams."

Applications for the Stacy's Rise Program will open on April 12. For more information, fans can visit www.stacyssnacks.com.

About Stacy's® Snacks
Stacy's Snacks is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $15 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.

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 $64 billion in net revenue in 2018, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.  

About United Way Worldwide
United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 8.3 million donors worldwide and $4.6 billion raised every year, United Way is the world's largest privately-funded nonprofit. We're engaged in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.

About Alice 
Founded by Carolyn Rodz and Elizabeth Gore, Alice is a free website that helps business owners find the right path to start and grow their companies by matching them with resources and opportunities. As a social enterprise, Alice supports equal access and opportunity for all business owners, no matter where they come from or who they know. www.helloalice.com

SOURCE Frito-Lay North America

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https://www.stacyssnacks.com

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