NEW YORK, May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to
alarming evidence of the continued disparate, negative impact of
COVID-19, PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) and its philanthropic arm,
The PepsiCo Foundation, today launched an initiative to provide
increased medical and economic aid to communities of color across
the country where the company has long worked. The $7 million initiative is a comprehensive project
to support immediate relief and long-term recovery.
The program will provide $1
million each to the National Urban
League and UnidosUS to help feed families and seniors,
increase medical care and testing, expand access to government
support and provide technology for remote education and work, with
a portion of the funds focused on post-recovery relief. An
additional $5 million will go to
local nonprofit partners to provide support and services that meet
the specific needs of Black and Latino communities, including:
- COVID-19 testing and screening
- Access to affordable nutrition
- Healthcare services
- Education, job training and business resources
- Economic and childcare assistance
- Family and senior housing
The PepsiCo Foundation is also providing a $100,000 grant to the Farmworkers Pandemic Relief
Fund, providing critical emergency assistance to America's
farmworkers who are supporting our food supply during the pandemic,
many of whom are vulnerable.
"COVID-19 has once again put a spotlight on the deep-rooted
health and economic disparities that have long faced communities of
color," said Steven Williams,
Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Foods North America. "In
response to this, we're helping to provide immediate relief and
support long-term recovery for Black and Latino communities. But
just as these inequities existed well before coronavirus, we will
continue to do our part and be a partner to these communities in
the months and years ahead."
PepsiCo's investment comes as unemployment and infection rates
among Black and Latino communities continue to spike. Communities
of color represent a higher percentage of total COVID-19 infections
than they do the national population while the mortality rate for
Black and Latino people combined is more than twice than their
white counterparts. This disparity only worsens at the local
level—in Milwaukee County, for
example, Black populations account for 26% of the population but
70% of coronavirus deaths, and in the Bay
Area, Latino residents make up 37% of COVID-19 cases but
just 21% of the population. Additionally, the economic effects of
COVID-19 are also falling unequally on these communities. In April,
16.7% of Black and 18.9% of Latino Americans were out of work,
compared to a national rate of 14.7%. For workers of color,
especially women, who account for a disproportionate number of
"essential" service workers, plans to reopen pose a significant
public health risk.
"Across the nation, the burden of COVID-19 is being
disproportionately shouldered by Black and Latino communities that
are facing higher rates of hospitalization, death and economic
hardships," said Kirk Tanner,
Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Beverages North America.
"That's why PepsiCo, our brands and our people have mobilized to
offer our support. And we know a crisis of this scale requires a
collective effort. We're calling on our partners and network to
support the communities of color that we are proud to serve and
where our teams live and work."
Support from PepsiCo is directed to 15 of the nation's
hardest-hit metro areas that have high populations of Black and
Latino residents and are among the cities where the company has
strong ties and where many of its employees live and serve,
specifically: Baltimore, the
Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los
Angeles, Memphis,
Miami-Dade, Milwaukee, New
Orleans, New York City,
St. Louis and Washington D.C. Having invested in
partnerships to support vulnerable communities across the U.S. for
decades, PepsiCo's new initiative offers near-term public health
assistance while also supporting long-term economic revival through
employment and homeownership counseling as well as job fairs and
employment connections.
Funds are going to local affiliates of UnidosUS and the National
Urban League as well as directly to dozens of highly effective
local nonprofit organizations, including $500,000 to each of the following:
- Community Foundation of Southeast
Michigan to address mental health, food, hygiene, and
healthcare inequity for African Americans;
- Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles Angeleno Campaign to distribute
$1,000 cash cards for families
experiencing extreme financial hardship; and
- Greater Washington Community Foundation COVID-19 Emergency
Response Fund to provide food, cash assistance, medical care and
support for small female-led businesses.
PepsiCo has been a long-time supporter of both the National
Urban League and UnidosUS (formerly known as National Council of La
Raza) with over 35 years of partnership and partners with a range
of minority-focused organizations to positively impact communities
throughout the year and during times of crisis. Recognizing the
entrenched inequity in the U.S., The PepsiCo Foundation has
invested more than $16.5 million in
programs that support people of color living in U.S. communities
from 2018 into 2019, with investments focused on nutrition and
health; education, job training skills development and business
growth; job creation and talent development; and advancing
equality.
"Our long-valued partnership with PepsiCo has grown even more
vital during this time of unprecedented need," said Marc H.
Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League.
"PepsiCo's commitment to empowering communities of color allows the
Urban League Movement to continue paving a path forward, and to
expand and intensify our service as America's economic first
responders."
"We are deeply grateful for the generous and timely support of
our COVID-19 response from PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation,"
said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of UnidosUS. "At a
time when Latinos and other communities of color are being so hard
hit, we need immediate action for emergency resources from all
sectors. This commitment from PepsiCo will directly support the
UnidosUS Esperanza/Hope Fund benefitting our network of Affiliated
community-based organizations who are on the frontlines helping
combat the health and economic impact of COVID-19 on the Latino
community, from creating food delivery programs to offering mental
health services via telemedicine portals. We commend PepsiCo for
serving as an example of how the business sector can play an
important role in addressing the health and economic impacts of
this crisis and in the long-term recovery."
This initiative builds on PepsiCo's more than $50 million global commitment to provide vital
support to those impacted by the devasting COVID-19 virus, which
includes distributing more than 50 million nutritious meals to
at-risk populations. In addition to increasing access to nutrition,
PepsiCo is also funding protective gear for healthcare workers,
investing in testing and screening services and providing financial
support for U.S. restaurant workers. PepsiCo brands, including
Quaker, Aquafina, Gatorade and Stacy's, have donated more than 8
million servings of foods and beverages to communities across the
U.S., including hospitals and healthcare communities. On
April 18, Pepsi partnered with Global
Citizen to host "One World: Together
at Home," a concert to celebrate healthcare workers that raised
$127 million for the World Health
Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. And Frito-Lay North America is partnering with
Feeding America to donate $50 for
every #JoyGivers posted through June
12 to raise up to $1
million.
Media assets about this work are available for download
at https://pepsi.co/media.
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 $67
billion in net revenue in 2019, 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
23 brands that generate more than $1
billion each in estimated annual retail sales. Guiding
PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods
and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose"
reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and
embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more
information, visit www.pepsico.com.
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
alleviate hunger, managing water and waste responsibly and
supporting women as champions of nutrition from farm to family. 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.pepsico.com/sustainability/philanthropy.
About National Urban League
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization
dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard
of living in historically underserved urban communities. The
National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 90 local
affiliates through the development of programs, public policy
research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and
improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually
nationwide. Visit www.nul.org and follow us on Twitter and
Instagram: @NatUrbanLeague.
About UnidosUS
UnidosUS, previously known as NCLR (National Council of
La Raza), is the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights and
advocacy organization. Through its unique combination of expert
research, advocacy, programs, and an Affiliate
Network of nearly 300 community-based organizations
across the United States and
Puerto Rico, UnidosUS
simultaneously challenges the social, economic, and political
barriers that affect Latinos at the national and local levels. For
more than 50 years, UnidosUS has united communities and different
groups seeking common ground through collaboration, and that share
a desire to make our country stronger. For more information on
UnidosUS, visit www.unidosus.org or follow
us on Facebook, Instagram,
and Twitter.
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SOURCE PepsiCo Foundation