Frito-Lay and PepsiCo employees are celebrating the third annual LIVE UNITED DAY with the largest-ever PepsiCo-United Way Day of Caring. Today's volunteer event will mark the launch of United Way Metropolitan Dallas’ annual fundraising campaign. An estimated 1,300 PepsiCo and Frito-Lay associates will blanket the Dallas area, contributing 5,000 volunteer hours in a single day to dozens of North Texas United Way service providers. This will bring the total collective volunteer hours contributed through PepsiCo-United Way Day of Caring events to more than 25,000, over the past five years.
Volunteers will take part in projects that include organizing donations, providing landscaping and facility maintenance, and conducting physical fitness activities with underserved students. All of the projects are designed to align with United Way’s focus on improving three specific areas: education, financial stability and health and wellness. In addition, PepsiCo and Frito-Lay employees will support multiple projects targeting schools participating in United Way’s Healthy Zone School Recognition Program – a rigorous health and wellness program designed to combat childhood obesity. PepsiCo’s philanthropic arm, the PepsiCo Foundation, recently committed $700,000 in grant funding to expand Healthy Zone Schools across North Texas.
“Five years ago, the PepsiCo-United Way Day of Caring began as a simple proposition: build on our longstanding partnership with United Way and create even greater opportunities for our associates to give back and improve the lives of others,” says Tom Greco, president and CEO, Frito-Lay North America and chair of the United Way’s 2014 fundraising campaign. “We are extremely proud of the impact this year’s event will have on dozens of United Way agencies and our greater hope is that we inspire others throughout the Metroplex – from individuals to institutions – to find out how they can get involved and help others in their communities.”
Each fall, Frito-Lay and DFW-based PepsiCo associates participate in a fundraising campaign to show their commitment to the community, investing more than $26 million in United Way programs over the last decade. Day of Caring activities provide a way for Frito-Lay and other DFW-based PepsiCo associates to actively engage in United Way programs, seeing first-hand the lasting impact their investments have on their neighbors’ lives.
“We are deeply grateful for the Frito-Lay/PepsiCo team’s investment in North Texas,” says Jennifer Sampson, president and CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. “PepsiCo gives back to the North Texas community on such a large scale! Year after year, the incredibly generous support United Way receives from the business community far exceeds our highest expectations. By working together, we are ensuring that more students are prepared to succeed after high school, more families are becoming financially self-sufficient and more individuals are living healthier lives.”
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas is entering its fifth of a five-year effort to raise $313 million for programs designed to achieve 10-year community goals. Those goals include preparing 60 percent of high school graduates to succeed in education after high school, pulling 250,000 people out of poverty permanently and improving access to health care across the region.
Volunteers will support the following local organizations during this year’s PepsiCo-United Way Day of Caring event: Bryan’s House, Caldwell Elementary School, ChildCareGroup, Collin County Children's Advocacy Center (CCCAC), Family Compass, Family Place, Goodwill, Jewish Family Services, Mesquite Social Services, Mi Escuelita, Mosaic Family Services, Nexus Recovery Center, Pedi Place, Rainbow Days, Rugel Elementary School, Salvation Army, The Samaritan Inn, Thomas Elementary School, Trinity River Mission, Visiting Nurse Association, Vickery Meadow Learning Center, and Vogel Alcove.
To give, advocate or volunteer, please go to www.unitedwaydallas.org.