November 2, 2012

PLANO, Texas, Nov. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Frito-Lay and other PepsiCo employees from offices throughout the Dallas/Fort-Worth Metroplex today will take part in the third annual PepsiCo United Way Day of Caring. In what stands as the largest corporate United Way Day of Caring event in the DFW area, an estimated 1,200 Frito-Lay and PepsiCo volunteers will contribute approximately 5,000 hours of their time to more than 20 United Way service providers to help North Texans in need.

Volunteers will take part in projects that include organizing donations for the service providers, landscaping and facility maintenance, assembling seasonally-themed goodie bags for hospitalized children, and hosting a fall-themed carnival for at-risk children. All of the projects are designed to align with the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas' focus on improving three specific areas: education, income, and health.

"The PepsiCo United Way Day of Caring is a great opportunity for our associates to get out and volunteer in the community," said Ralph Goedderz, chair, PepsiCo United Way Day of Caring. "The wide range of projects and volunteer opportunities with this year's effort allows our associates to truly make an impact and experience firsthand life-changing connections with the clients who benefit from the United Way's services."

PepsiCo and its Frito-Lay division have a long history of supporting United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Each fall, Frito-Lay and other 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 10 years. Last year's campaign was among the largest in the Metroplex, raising more than $3.3 million in total contributions. Day of Caring activities provide a way for Frito-Lay and other DFW-based PepsiCo associates, including associates representing Pepsi Beverages Company, to volunteer their time to support United Way programs. 

"We are grateful for PepsiCo's longstanding and generous support of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas," said Jennifer Sampson, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas president and CEO. "Their many contributions are making a tremendous impact by preparing more kids to graduate and succeed, helping families leave poverty permanently and enabling people to live healthier, more responsible lives. There is no better investment."

Volunteers will support the following DFW-area organizations during this year's PepsiCo United Way Day of Caring event:

  • Boys and Girls Club Greater Dallas (Dallas)
  • ChildCareGroup (Dallas)
  • Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County (Plano)
  • Children's Medical Center (Dallas)
  • United Way's Earn It, Keep It, Save It (Dallas)
  • Frisco Independent School District (Frisco)
  • Foundation for the Education of Young Women (Dallas)
  • Goodwill Industries (Dallas)
  • Interfaith Housing Coalition (Dallas)
  • Irving Cares (Irving)
  • Mesquite Social Services (Mesquite)
  • Mi Escuelita Preschool (Dallas)
  • Nexus Recovery Center (Dallas)
  • Pedi Place (Lewisville)
  • Rainbow Days (Dallas)
  • Reasoning Mind (Dallas)
  • Salvation Army (Dallas)
  • Samaritan Inn (McKinney)
  • The Family Place (Dallas)
  • The Senior Source (Dallas)
  • Trinity River Mission (Dallas)
  • Vogel Alcove (Dallas)

About Frito-Lay North America
Frito-Lay North America is the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: 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 at http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

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About United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas offers North Texans highly effective ways to help people change their lives forever. United Way is the largest non-governmental funder of programs to improve Education, Income and Health in Dallas, Collin, Rockwall and southern Denton counties. By breaking the cycles of dropouts, poverty and poor health for hundreds of thousands of people over the next ten years, United Way donors, volunteers and advocates will create long-term improvements throughout the region. To learn more, please visit UnitedWayDallas.org.

SOURCE Frito-Lay