July 13, 2009

PLANO, Texas, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Inspired by the belief that everyone has a singular passion in life, TrueNorth, PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division's popular line of 100% natural nut snacks, is recognizing real people who have pursued their life's passions or their "true north," as part of the brand's "TrueNorth Story of the Month" campaign. For the month of June, the TrueNorth brand is recognizing the inspirational story of Nancy Miller, co-founder of the Jimmy Miller Foundation.

Nancy's true north is to honor the life of her son, Jimmy Miller, by supporting the healing of individuals through the therapeutic power of the ocean. By providing recreational, educational and mentoring programs, the Jimmy Miller Foundation brings together surfers, educators, therapists, lifeguards and friends to help people affected by illness increase their self-esteem and self-efficacy through the sport of surfing. The Foundation also supports the protection, preservation, appreciation and safe enjoyment of the oceans, beaches and marine environment. This year's ocean therapy surf sessions, held in Manhattan Beach and at Camp Pendleton, California began in June and continue through the end of September.

"When we formed the foundation four years ago, it gave us a way to find our true north after losing Jimmy," shared Miller. "With the love and support of family, friends and the local beach community, our family has been able to honor Jimmy's life by keeping one of his most important dreams alive - helping others learn to love, heal and feel the joy of the pure surfing experience."

"As the Story of the Month campaign continues, we're excited to highlight the inspirational story of the Jimmy Miller Foundation," said Regan Ebert, vice president and general manager, warehouse direct business, Frito-Lay North America. "Nancy and her family's story truly exemplifies the meaning of TrueNorth - giving life extraordinary meaning. That's what the 'Story of the Month' campaign is about, celebrating real stories about people doing extraordinary things and living life to the fullest."

The TrueNorth brand encourages consumers to continue to submit a written essay that describes how they are pursuing their life's passion through the brand's website - www.truenorthsnacks.com. The brand will select a "Story of the Month" each month through December that will be prominently featured on the web site. In addition to being featured online, the recipient of "Story of the Month" will be awarded a $1,000 grant and a passion pack to help in the pursuit of their passion.

After a nationwide search last year for the most inspiring story in America, TrueNorth selected Lisa Nigro, founder of Inspiration Cafe, and featured her in a sixty-second commercial that made its debut in February during a nationally broadcast awards ceremony. More than two thousands stories were submitted from across the country that featured amazing individuals who are pursuing their life's passion and impacting the people around them.

TrueNorth is a contemporary brand of 100% natural nut snacks that followed its passion to take a simple nut and make a more extraordinary snack. The TrueNorth brand believes everyone has a singular passion in life that can leave a legacy, empower others or simply make the world a more interesting place to live. By showcasing these powerful stories, TrueNorth hopes to inspire people to find the passion that drives them to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Frito-Lay North America is the $12 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) , which is headquartered in Purchase, N.Y. In addition to Frito-Lay, PepsiCo business units include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods, Gatorade and Tropicana. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate Web site, www.fritolay.com, and the Snack Chat blog, www.snacks.com.

PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) is one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, with 2008 annual revenues of more than $43 billion. Its principal businesses include: Frito-Lay snacks, Pepsi-Cola beverages, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices and Quaker foods. PepsiCo's commitment to sustainable growth, defined as Performance with Purpose, is focused on generating healthy financial returns while giving back to communities the Company serves. This includes meeting consumer needs for a spectrum of convenient foods and beverages, reducing the Company's impact on the environment through water, energy and packaging initiatives, and supporting its employees through a diverse and inclusive culture that recruits and retains world-class talent. For more information, please visit http://www.pepsico.com/.

  Contact:
  Aurora Gonzalez
  Frito-Lay
  (972) 334-3821

Source: Frito-Lay North America

CONTACT: Aurora Gonzalez of Frito-Lay North America, +1-972-334-3821

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