Pepsi provides food, job training and hurricane relief in North Carolina
A key part of the Pepsi Cares mission is assisting communities in critical areas of need — hunger included. Just last year, the PepsiCo Foundation and Minges Bottling Group, Inc. provided funds to support two charities in Pepsi’s hometown of New Bern, NC.
One $25,000 donation was allocated toward the Stop Summer Hunger Campaign, sponsored by the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. The ongoing campaign addresses the fact that about 300,000 kids in 34 North Carolina counties depend on free and reduced-cost meals at school for sustenance. That means that, during the summer, they have insufficient meals. Stop Summer Hunger supplies nourishment to fill that gap.
George Young, the Food Bank Eastern Regional Director, said, "We are so appreciative that – for the third year in a row – the PepsiCo Foundation has partnered with us to provide nutritious meals to those who are hungry in our community so that kids in central and eastern North Carolina can enjoy being kids during their summer break."
PepsiCo Foundation and Minges Bottling Group, Inc. directed an additional $25,000 donation toward Swiss Bear's Social Enterprise Job Training program. The funds supported food service job training to local low-income and homeless veterans and community members in partnership with the national culinary training organization Catalyst Kitchens.
“We are proud to support local residents as they enhance their food service skills and gain employment in jobs where they are nourishing others,” said Sue Norton, Vice President of the PepsiCo Foundation.
In May 2019, Pepsi announced an additional $25,000 donation to strengthen the Stop Summer Hunger Campaign, as well as a gift of $25,000 to the Craven County Disaster Recovery Alliance. The donation to the Alliance will go toward rebuilding communities impacted by Hurricane Florence, including the New Bern area in Craven County.
"We are so thankful for PepsiCo's continued support of the New Bern community and commitment to helping rebuild those areas that were devastated by the recent hurricane," said John Robinson, Chair of the Board of the Craven County Disaster Recovery Alliance.
Help Pepsi give back to the place we call home. Get involved with the North Carolina Stop Summer Hunger campaign here, learn more about how Catalyst Kitchens is offering job training in communities like the Carolinas here, and explore donation and volunteer opportunities with Craven County’s Disaster Recovery Alliance here.