Pepsi Stronger Together and Gamesa® Team Up with Fat Joe and Friends to Launch $100,000 Nationwide Scholarship Program in Support of Music and Arts Education for Multicultural Students

Angie Martinez, Ruben Diaz Jr., Estevan Oriol and Bun B Join Fat Joe to Drive Awareness for the Multi-City Initiative Creating Opportunity for Underserved Youth

NEW YORK, June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pepsi Stronger Together and Grammy-nominated recording artist, entrepreneur and philanthropist Fat Joe are teaming up, in partnership with Gamesa Cookies, one of Mexico's most beloved consumer food brands and largest manufacturer of cookies, to create a bigger stage for aspiring musicians and artists - by launching their first national scholarship search. The program, part of PepsiCo's series of grassroots initiatives tailored to local communities, aims to support underserved youth nationwide by inviting students to apply to receive one of four $25,000 scholarships towards an education in music and arts.

"Across some of the largest cities in the country, Black and Hispanic students under index on access to creative arts education, despite the benefits and opportunities it provides. Addressing the needs of underserved communities is why Pepsi Stronger Together was created and given our brand's rich history and footprint in music and entertainment, this program was a natural fit. We are honored to have the help of leading artists like Fat Joe and Angie Martinez - people that have broken barriers to get to where they are today - as we collectively look to open more doors for multicultural youth who want to pursue an arts education," said Derek Lewis, PepsiCo's Multicultural Business and Equity Development President.

The program kicks off in New York City on June 12 where Fat Joe will serve as Padrino (Godfather) of the Puerto Rican Day Parade on the Pepsi Stronger Together and Gamesa float. He will be joined by NYC radio personality Angie Martinez, former Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr., and singer Tony Sunshine.

"I'm honored to work with Pepsi Stronger Together to create opportunities for the next generation of multicultural leaders and give them the resources to pursue their dreams in music and arts," Fat Joe said. "As an entertainer with a public platform, I take my responsibility to blaze a trail for the future very seriously. It's important that we empower our youth – especially from underserved communities – so they have the confidence and foundation to reach their full potential."

Following the NYC kick-off, Pepsi Stronger Together and Gamesa will take the tour national with stops in Los Angeles, supported by internationally celebrated photographer and film maker Estevan Oriol, and Houston, with help from Texas rapper and scene icon Bun B, before culminating in Miami. The four scholarship winners will be announced in October at iHeartRadio's Fiesta Latina concert in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

High school seniors nationwide can apply online at PepsiStrongerTogether.com until September 20, 2022. Each of the four cities will also feature a designated site where students can apply in person with the help of on-site staff, starting with Fat Joe's UP NYC store in the Bronx.

As an extension of PepsiCo's Racial Equality Journey efforts, this national scholarship program focused on music and arts adds to PepsiCo's community investment, which together with the PepsiCo Foundation, includes a commitment to provide more than 4,000 community college scholarships to support Black and Hispanic students pursuing 2-year and 4-year degrees. To date, the Uplift scholarship program is now available in 20 U.S. cities, and the Foundation has disbursed funding for nearly 1,800 scholarships. It has also provided nearly 300 community impact grants and created pathways to high-quality careers through the Pathways to Readiness and Empowerment Program.

Pepsi Stronger Together is a national initiative to empower and engage communities around the country by providing tailored programming and resources that bring people together. It was conceived with the idea that now, more than ever, we must foster a sense of connection and belonging, starting by investing locally. Launched in May of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic - engaging its network of partners in the South to shine a spotlight on essential front-line workers in a variety of industries - Pepsi Stronger Together was expanded in October of 2020 by partnering with NBA teams and charitable organizations to foster, among other things, community and police relations.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). Under this vision, Pepsi Stronger Together is continually evolving the program to respond to the cultural moment and meet the needs of communities across the United States. Stay up to date at pepsistrongertogether.com, where visitors can engage in conversation and learn about the latest community initiatives and how to give back. Follow the conversation on social media at @pepsistrongertogether.

Gamesa is Mexico's largest manufacturer of cookies. The company was founded in 1921 as La Industrial S.A. and acquired by PepsiCo in 1990. Gamesa markets cookies in the United States, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean and is the leading cookie and cracker Hispanic brand in the US Grocery channel. Now in its 100th year, Gamesa continues to offer families a wide assortment of brands such as Marias, Emperador, Arcoiris, Mamut, Chokis, Barra de Coco, Saladitas, and Crackets, among others. Learn more about Gamesa by following on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GamesaUSA/ or IG: @Gamesa.US.

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 $79 billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for the planet and people. For more information, visitwww.pepsico.com.

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SOURCE PepsiCo Beverages North America