TASTE OF THE NFL INCREASES ACCESS TO 100 MILLION SCHOOL MEALS, SUPPORTING GENYOUth’s MISSION TO FOSTER NUTRITION SECURITY AMONG STUDENTS NATIONWIDE

Presented by Frito-Lay, Quaker and the PepsiCo Foundation, Super Bowl LVII’s Premier
Purpose-driven Culinary Event, Held February 11, 2023, in Arizona, will Support GENYOUth’s Commitment to End Student Hunger  

NEW YORK, April 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — GENYOUth, a national nonprofit organization which creates healthier school communities, today announced that the collective impact of the Taste of the NFL philanthropic event totaled $1.8 million, which will benefit 700 schools and 385,000 students by increasing access to 100 million school meals to foster nutrition security among students in all 32 NFL club markets. Celebrating over 30 years as the Super Bowl’s largest purpose-driven culinary experience, Taste of the NFL was held at Chateau Luxe in Phoenix on February 11, 2023, with support from presenting sponsors Frito-Lay, Quaker and the PepsiCo Foundation.

The event featured over 30 chefs, including renowned celebrity chefs Andrew Zimmern, Carla Hall, Tim Love, Lasheeda Perry and Mark Bucher, as well as Arizona culinary stars including Maurice Gordon, Christopher Gross, Beau MacMillan, Maria Mazon, and Mark Tarbell; and chefs from the PepsiCo Foundation’s IMPACTO Hispanic Business Accelerator and PepsiCo’s Juntos Crecemos programs including Yesenia Ramirez, Miriam Ramirez, Lucia and Ramon Garcia, and Imelda Hartley. They were joined by over 30 NFL Legends and players including Najee Harris, Rashad Jennings, Doug Flutie, Mike Haynes, Chris Draft, David Caldwell, Jarrod Bunch, Kyle Rudolph and Drew Stanton; as well as over 2,300 football and foodie fans inspired to help end student hunger.

“For many students, school meals are a lifeline and the only source of good nutrition they receive on some days. The collective impact of the Taste of the NFL equips GENYOUth to provide grants to 700 school nutrition programs in the Super Bowl host city and 31 additional NFL markets,” said Ann Marie Krautheim, M.A., R.D., L.D., CEO of GENYOUth. “We are grateful for the support of our Taste of the NFL supporters – the NFL, Frito-Lay, Quaker, and the PepsiCo Foundation; as well as GENYOUth End Student Hunger partners including American Family Insurance, Challenge Butter, Charles Woodson’s Intercept Wine, Columbus Craft Meats, Danzeisen Dairy, FEED, Frontdoors Media, Hellmann’s, Hormel Foods, Hensley, Hubbard Radio Phoenix, JAM Cellars, Kona Grill, PopCorners, Remy Cointreau, Remy Martin, Shamrock Foods, STK, Tequila Corrido, Teremana Tequila, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Undeniably Dairy, Valley Buick GMC Dealers, and Woodson Bourbon Whiskey.”

“We are proud of GENYOUth’s work to help tackle food insecurity and grateful for the engagement of NFL sponsors Frito-Lay, Quaker and the PepsiCo Foundation. Their support of Taste of the NFL and partnership in programs critical to increasing school meal participation is directly benefitting the Super Bowl’s host community in Arizona,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business & League Events. “As Taste of the NFL’s charitable partner and beneficiary, and as a long-standing NFL non-profit partner, GENYOUth’s commitment to creating healthier school communities through school grants and programs, including NFL FLAG-In-Schools, is admirable.”  

Building a Framework of Nutrition Security in Phoenix and Arizona

In the lead up to Super Bowl LVII, Frito-Lay, Quaker and PepsiCo Foundation – along with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, Dairy Council^® of Arizona, BHHS Legacy Foundation, Fiesta Bowl Charities, Fry’s Food Stores, and the ISA Foundation – partnered with GENYOUth on Mission 57: End Student Hunger, a community initiative which has provided Grab and Go school meal equipment packages and NFL FLAG-In-Schools kits to help tackle food insecurity and increase physical activity in 57 high-need Arizona schools. Mission 57 will provide access to over 8.5 million school meals and increase opportunities for physical activity among 31,000 Arizona students.

“Our support of Taste of the NFL and Mission 57 will drive meaningful impact to help end student hunger and uplift communities in Arizona and across the nation where our employees live and work,” said Joan Cetera, Vice President, Communications and Community Impact, PepsiCo Foods North America. “We are proud of our partnership with GENYOUth in providing equitable access to critical resources and tools, which help schools alleviate food insecurity among our most vulnerable children and allow communities to thrive.”

“We are proud of our long-standing support of GENYOUth, including the 2023 Taste of the NFL and accompanying Mission 57 initiative, both of which advance the PepsiCo Foundation’s commitments to addressing food insecurity by increasing equitable access to nutritious food,” said C.D. Glin, President, PepsiCo Foundation, and Global Head of Philanthropy, PepsiCo.

Planning is already underway for Taste of the NFL 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada with customized sponsorship opportunities available. Contact Kelianne Johnson, GENYOUth Director of Marketing & Development, at [email protected] for sponsorship details.

GENYOUth is also inviting school nutrition professionals and educators to apply for Fuel Up To Play 60 School Meal Equipment Grants at funds.genyouthnow.org through May 2, 2023.

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 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

About Frito-Lay North America 
Frito-Lay North America is the $23 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay’s and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, Cheetos snacks, Stacy’s pita chips, PopCorners popped-corn snack, 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, 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.     

About 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. 

SOURCE GENYOUth