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FRITO-LAY® Variety Packs and CHEETOS® Mac 'N Cheese Team Up with J.J. and Kealia Watt to Provide Access to 10 Million School Meals and Support Thousands in Youth Sports

PEP | September 7, 2023

J.J. and Kealia Watt visit Houston-area families at NFL FLAG football clinic to celebrate donation

PLANO, Texas, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To give more students the resources they need for the fun they deserve, FRITO-LAY® Variety Packs and CHEETOS® Mac 'N Cheese are donating more than $300,000 to GENYOUth to provide access to 10 million meals through Grab and Go school breakfast and after-school programs. Through the support of GENYOUth, a national non-profit that creates healthier school communities, this donation will also supply 120 NFL FLAG-In-School kits to keep 66,000 kids active in youth sports.

In celebration of this partnership, husband-and-wife duo and former professional athletes, J.J. and Kealia Watt, are teaming up with Frito-Lay Variety Packs and CHEETOS Mac 'N Cheese to spread awareness about the importance of increasing access to school meals and youth sports programming.

"As athletes and parents, we know it's essential for our youth to have access to school meals and the value of accessible youth sports to develop teambuilding skills and teach the importance of hard work and perseverance," said J.J. Watt. "We are so excited to return to Houston — a city that holds a special place in our hearts — to give back to the community, alongside Frito-Lay Variety Packs, CHEETOS Mac 'N Cheese, GENYOUth and NFL FLAG, who are providing invaluable resources."

Watt, who spent 10 years of his professional football career playing in Houston, has long supported youth sports initiatives within the community. Together with Frito-Lay Variety Packs, CHEETOS Mac 'N Cheese and GENYOUth, the Watts hosted a community sports event at Houston Methodist Training Center. The event marked a donation of a Grab and Go school meal cart and NFL FLAG-In-School kits to a deserving school in Houston's Lamar CISD, along with an after-school snack for 100 students. The Watts also guest-coached youth attendees participating in a flag football game.

"Schools play a crucial role in ensuring proper nutrition and providing safe places to play and learn for 55 million students. With one in eight U.S. children living in food insecurity and only one in four getting the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity, we ensure schools have the resources to help children thrive," said Ann Marie Krautheim, CEO, GENYOUth. "We are grateful for Frito-Lay Variety Packs and CHEETOS Mac 'N Cheese's support to help end student hunger and encourage play through school sports programs."

"Frito-Lay Variety Packs and CHEETOS Mac 'N Cheese are staples when it comes to the back-to-school season, and this year, we're providing students access to school meals so they can focus on starting the school year off right," said Melissa Miranda, vice president of portfolio marketing for Frito-Lay Variety Packs. "In working with remarkable partners like GENYOUth, we strive to continue driving our shared mission to equip and empower youth with resources to reach well-nourished, high-achieving futures."

The collaboration between Frito-Lay and GENYOUth builds upon their longstanding relationship and shared commitment to combating food insecurity. Frito-Lay, Quaker and the PepsiCo Foundation have collectively provided over $6 million to GENYOUth since 2009. As part of its ongoing purpose work, Frito-Lay remains dedicated to ending food insecurity in the communities where its employees live and work. In 2022 alone, Frito-Lay donated over $7 million worth of products to non-profit partners and communities across the United States and served over 232 schools.

To learn more about GENYOUth's mission and donate, visit genyouthnow.org.

About Frito-Lay North America
Frito-Lay North America is the $23 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, Cheetos snacks, Stacy's pita chips, PopCorners popped-corn snacks, SunChips multigrain snacks and Fritos corn chips. The company operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Canada, more than 200 distribution centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week through its direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, www.fritolay.com, on Twitter (@fritolay), on Instagram (@fritolay) and on Facebook (Frito-Lay).

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 $86 billion in net revenue in 2022, 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 pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

About GENYOUth
GENYOUth is a 501c3 national nonprofit dedicated to helping school children thrive by living a well-nourished and physically active life. A catalyst for youth health and wellness, GENYOUth has worked with over 73,000 U.S. schools to equip them with the resources needed to ensure millions of children have equitable access to nutrition and physical activity. Founded by America's dairy farmers and the NFL, GENYOUth convenes a network of private and public partners, including Fortune 100 companies and foundations to raise funds to ensure all children are nourished and active to be their best selves. To learn more and support GENYOUth visit www.GENYOUthnow.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.