GENYOUth Tackles Food Insecurity in LA with the help of the NFL
February 11, 2022
GENYOUth, a national non-profit that creates healthier school communities in the US, is fighting student hunger through Taste of the NFL, a Super Bowl weekend purpose-driven culinary event in partnership with PepsiCo Foundation and Frito-Lay.
Taste of the NFL, launched at Super Bowl 1992, was created to raise awareness and funds to support hunger and food insecurity. This year, they'll be coming to LA for Super Bowl LVI, which is takes place this weekend in California.
“One in six US kids lives in food insecurity. As a result of the pandemic, schools are feeding more kids, more meals, in more locations and at more times of the day than ever,” explained Alexis Glick, CEO of GENYOUth. “We need to do everything in our power to support schools in Los Angeles and nationwide as they remain crucial community anchors in fighting food insecurity.”
Event proceeds will go to GENYOUth’s End Student Hunger Fund, which provides equipment and resources to help deliver and distribute school meals to 30 million students nationwide in need of daily nutrients. The NFL has also designated a portion of the funds as a donation to support the Super Bowl’s host city’s Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and its Kool Kitchens renovations program, a district-wide initiative addressing student food insecurity.
According to LAUSD, 80% of its students come from families who live in poverty, and the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately caused job losses among them, putting a strain on their access to food. In 2021, the school district provided 100 million meals to students and community members in need.
Across the US, more than 38 million people are food insecure, 12 million of which are children. Non-profit Feeding America states that the pandemic has increased food insecurity among families with children and communities of color, groups who already faced hunger at a higher rate before the pandemic.
The PepsiCo Foundation will support GENYOUth's national efforts in addition to Los Angeles community-specific work through a partnership with Para Los Niños to provide nutritious weekend meals to students over the next year. This effort and $1 million in funding to support GENYOUth, Taste of the NFL and LAUSD, is part of PepsiCo’s Food for Good, a global initiative to help 50 million people gain access to nutritious foods by 2030.
“Frito-Lay is committed to the communities in which we live and work. Our commitment to Los Angeles through this program is to renovate kitchens in five Los Angeles Unified School District Schools, with the goal of increasing students’ school meals participation by 15%,” said Steven Williams, CEO of PepsiCo Foods North America. “As we deliver food equity and nourishment to students who need it most, we’re making a positive impact and helping to build the foundation for a brighter future.”
Additional funds raised by Taste of the NFL will also support school meal programs in NFL club markets across the country. A February 12 event will include an "Equality Lounge", bringing together thought leaders from the NFL, social justice organizations and the food and beverage industry to highlight the importance of equity, inclusion and fair play.