Joshua's Heart Foundation Declares FEED THE CHILDREN, PEPSICO and FRITO LAY SUPERHEROES of Change

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Feb. 6, 2017 - PRLog -- Once again, 800 Broward County families received a week's worth of groceries, household and personal items as part of an ongoing initiative to end hunger and homelessness. In an unprecedented show of strength and solidarity the team from PepsiCo, Frito Lay and Feed the Children again partnered with Miami's Joshua's Heart Foundation to help MAKE THE HOLIDAYS A LITTLE BRIGHTER FOR FAMILIES in Fort Lauderdale's Carter Park neighborhood.

Every year for the past three years, Feed the Children, along with PepsiCo and their subsidiary Frito Lay has joined Joshua's Heart in bringing joy to those in need in the Central Broward region surrounding Joseph C. Carter Park. This cooperative distribution serves families in an area where 20 percent of the population lives below the poverty level.

"The distribution happens in a manner that helps to alleviate some of the stress these families would experience at the holidays," said Joshua Williams, President and Founder of Joshua's Heart. "We are fortunate to have Feed the Children, Pepsico and Frito Lay support our local families in need and help make the holidays a little sweeter over the last 3 years," he added.

The preselected families all received the following:

·         One 25-pound box of nonperishable food items

·         One 15-pound box of household items

·         One box of AVON products

·         Disney books

·         Frito-Lay snacks

·         PepsiCo beverages

·         Nut Harvest snacks

·         Life Original Cereal

·         Quaker Chewy Granola Bars

·         Quaker Standard Oats

Feed The Children's interim CEO/President and COO Travis Arnold and PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division's Palm Beach zone's sales director, Carlos Canizares, are champions of change for hunger and food insecurity in local neighborhoods around the country. For every distribution package, donated, one less child goes hungry at night. The families were all served between the hours of 11am and 2pm in the gymnasium at Joseph C. Carter Park on Sunrise Blvd. The park facilities manager and workers were all instrumental in making the day a total success and with very little commotion.

Joshua's Heart Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that empowers, needy people to improve their quality of life. The foundation was founded by a four-and-a-half-year-old boy by the name of Joshua. His heart conceived a passion for assisting those who struggle daily to procure food for basic survival. The focus of his vision is to "Stomp out Hunger" in indigent and underprivileged communities, as well as from among those who battledebilitating diseases that affect their ability to earn enough to feed themselves. For more information about Joshua's Heart Foundation, our local events or how to get involved, please contact us at 305.788.8295. You can also send us an email at info@joshuasheart.org and visit our website at www.joshuasheart.org

Feed the Children, established in 1979, exists to end child hunger.  It is one of the largest U.S.-based charities and serves those in need in the U.S. and in 10 countries around the world. It provides food, education, essentials and disaster relief. Domestically, it operates 5 distribution centers (located in Oklahoma, Indiana, California, Tennessee and Pennsylvania).

In fiscal year 2015, Feed the Children distributed 107 million pounds of food and essentials valued at $302 million to people in the U.S., and internationally, it sponsored nearly 24,500 children, addressing the root causes of poverty through child sponsorship and school sponsorship. It is accredited by GuideStar Exchange, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and is rated by Charity Navigator.  Visit www.feedthechildren.org for more information.

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2015, 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 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice,

Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com .