Snack Chat

Frito-Lay Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. By Inspiring Others

Today, I joined my coworkers at Frito-Lay headquarters and those watching from more than 120 remote locations for our 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. This year's celebration was my first with the company, and it was nothing short of amazing. As we took our seats, Michele Thatcher, senior vice president of human resources, told us, "Whether it's your first or your 22nd, you'll leave with a renewed passion to make the world better." 

The theme this year, "Tomorrow is Now," was slightly different than previous celebrations. Instead of remembering Dr. King's dream, it focused on the possibilities when people act upon it. 

Keynote speaker Hill Harper (pictured addressing the crowd below) was a perfect choice for the event. Currently starring on CBS' CSI:NY, he is an award-winning actor, best-selling author and activist. He founded the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, dedicated to empowering, encouraging and inspiring underserved youth to succeed through mentorship, scholarship and grant programs. He spoke about how he was inspired to step outside of his comfort zone to produce positive change for others.

Harper's speech also included entertaining personal stories including a rather misfortunate turn at Jeopardy! when the celebrities he thought he was facing were swapped for a three-time game champion and the Secretary of Education. 

At the close of the event, our various employee resource groups were present with a variety of partner organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters so we could learn more about how help make a positive change of our own.

I left the event feeling energized and ready to do my part to help. Back at my desk, I was inspired by a quote from Harper I scribbled in the margin of my notebook: "I will not allow fear to stop me from doing the things that I know I should do. Instead, I will work from my heart, make a difference and in so doing give others permission to do the same."

How will you make a difference this year?

- Joe

Frito-Lay Hosts Black History Month Arts Contest

Today on Snack Chat, we’re excited to share a blog post from guest blogger Mike Messersmith, marketing manager at Frito-Lay, who is on the committee bringing to life this month a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy. Take it away, Mike!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Black History Month always give me an opportunity to pause and think about my community and the people that inspire my passion and creativity. The legacy of Dr. King and the spirit of celebrating the rich diversity and heritage of the African American community in this country is something that should inspire all of us to really think hard about the impact we are making around us. As a Marketing Manager at Frito-Lay, I have the tremendous privilege to channel that passion into our celebration of Black History Month at Frito-Lay/PepsiCo, which I’m helping lead this year. 

Last year, we sponsored a Black History Month Arts Contest, in partnership with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), to celebrate the traditions and heritage of the African American community in the arts -- and we’re proud to host it again this year. The 2011 program generated hundreds of submissions from aspiring artists across the country, and the winner received a gallery showcase in his hometown to share his talents with his community, really helping launch his art career. 

This year, we’ve made the contest even bigger and better. For example, we’re promoting the contest, accepting submissions and enabling consumer votes via the Frito-Lay Facebook page. This type of promotion provides increased visibility for the contest and allows us to reach a large audience of aspiring artists and consumer voters who can quickly and easily participate and share their favorite works of art with family and friends.

We have also expanded our partnership with the UNCF. This year, we are donating $1 for every vote submitted in the contest up to $35,000. The UNCF does such a great job promoting advancement in the African American community, and Frito-Lay is very proud to have such a fantastic partner in this program. So, we’re excited to be able to support the organization with an increased donation.

Lastly, we’ve expanded the winning artist’s prize package. In addition to a cash award, our winner will receive a featured showcase at the United Negro College Fund’s EMPOWER ME Tour 2012, which brings together highly influential artists, entrepreneurs and thought leaders in the African American community. It will be a fantastic stage to launch an art career!

The window to submit original art is open now through Jan. 15, and consumer voting will begin on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Jan. 16! You can check out the full rules here. We are very proud of this program and hope our fans embrace it as a way to celebrate the arts in their local communities!

- Mike

Remember, Remember, Don't Shave It's Movember

Since the start of the month, some of you may have noticed an increase in gentlemen sporting facial hair. Some of you may have even started to grow out your own moustaches. The reason for all these new looks? It's Movember, a month in which men grow moustaches to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. This is the second year for PepsiCo's global fundraising team, and we are happy to share a little more about one of our Frito-Lay "Mo Bros" with you today. Meet David Morgan, University of Tennessee grad (Go Vols!), Associate Operations Analyst and Dallas-area participation and fundraising co-chair for PepsiCo's Movember team.

How did you get involved with Movember? Last year, another member on my team was the chair and asked if I'd be interested in participating. I liked the idea and, more importantly, what it represented and signed up. I helped with participation and fundraising for our 20-person team, and we raised more than $14,000. I'm the Dallas chairperson this year, and we have 40 volunteers working toward our local fundraising goal of $50,000.

Where do the donations you raise this month go? All money goes to LIVESTRONG and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. They allocate all the funds, and a majority of what we raise will go toward new research in the prevention and treatment for testicular and prostate cancers.

Is Movember just for men? Can people who don't want to or can't grow a moustache still be a part of Movember? There are plenty of ways to support Movember without growing a moustache, so all are welcome to be a part of the month -- including women. Our team has more than 100 women participating! Besides growing a moustache, the biggest ways people can help are by spreading the word and raising overall awareness. We also hosted a kickoff event to rally support that included free shaves from The Gent's Place, a raffle and the opportunity to learn more about the impact these cancers can have on our lives from specialists at the USMD Prostate Cancer Center. 

What are your plans for your moustache? Honestly, whatever I can get. I did a test run in October to see what it would look like, and I don't think it's going to be pretty.

Big thanks to David for talking with us and for playing a pivotal role with our Movember team. We'll follow up with him at the end of the month and hopefully have a grizzly photo to share as well. If you'd like more information on Movember or are interested in participating, please visit their website at www.movember.com. 

What do you think? Will you support Movember this year?

- Joe

UPDATE: I'm proud to announce that team "PepsiCo Mo USA" has become the largest team in the United States and is currently #4 in fundraising. Way to go, team! 

PepsiCo Gives Back Through United Way Day of Caring

There's a message that's been shared on this blog many times by my fellow Snack Chat team members -- how great it is to work at a company that does so many things to help local communities. I had the opportunity to experience this myself today when I joined 1,200 Frito-Lay and PepsiCo coworkers for our second annual United Way Day of Caring, in partnership with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Together, we donated more than 5,000 community service hours working on over 20 projects across the metroplex. 

The range of projects was inspiring. Volunteers (including those at an East Dallas Community Schools campus, pictured at right) made improvements to playgrounds and campuses at area schools, painted a mural to inspire education, made repairs and renovations to a group home for people with disabilities, donated more than 600 lbs of canned goods to a local food pantry and so much more. I worked with some of my fellow Public Relations teammates to help Head Start of Greater Dallas, a local program which services more than 4,400 low-income, preschool-age children and their families. We assembled two months' worth of activity packets that will help these kids develop their reading abilities. Way to go, team!

Spending time giving back to my community with my coworkers was a truly rewarding experience, made even more meaningful by the message given to us as we started our day. Before we left the office this morning, United Way Day of Caring Event Chair and Frito-Lay Senior Director of Finance Ralph Goedderz (pictured at left) told us to go out into the community not only to make a difference ourselves but also to help inspire involvement from others. Hopefully this blog post will do just that.

Check out our full Flickr photo gallery from our United Day of Caring

- Joe

UPDATE: Check out the United Way Day of Caring video below to see some of my Frito-Lay and PepsiCo coworkers in action. 

Alegra Tu Vida! Frito-Lay Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Recently, I joined my fellow Frito-Lay associates at our headquarters in Plano, Texas, for a Latin festival, our closing event for Hispanic Heritage Month -- a month-long celebration of the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The festival was hosted by Adelante, PepsiCo's Hispanic/Latino employee resource group, and was the grand finale after four amazing weeks of events, fundraisers and educational programs.

The event delivered on this year's theme, 'Alegra Tu Vida. . .Spice Up Your Life!' It showcased a mariachi band and authentic Mexican dancers from a local high school, professional salsa and merengue dancers, and various food stands where associates could enjoy churros, elotes, agua fresca and Frito-Lay snacks from our Latin markets in the U.S. and abroad (pictured above). So while I managed to leave the festival with my two left feet still tapping different rhythms, I was comforted knowing my snack cupboard was stocked!

During the festivities, Adelante also crowned the winner of the 'Salsa World Cup,' a salsa-making contest among PepsiCo employees across the U.S. I helped organize this contest and have to say that we have some incredibly talented chefs in our ranks! However, after all the votes were tallied, PepsiCo employee Yelena Poklad from our office in Valhalla, N.Y., won with her delicious summer salsa with grilled corn recipe. Not only did she win a brand new iPad2, but she also got to spend some time in the kitchen with Frito-Lay Executive Research Chef Stephen Kalil (pictured). I had a chance to talk with Yelena about her recipe and her time with Chef Stephen, and a podcast of our chat is posted below.

Yelena Poklad Podcast

The Latin festival concluded with a presentation from Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), the leading advocate for nearly 3 million Hispanic-owned businesses and over 200 local Hispanic chambers throughout the United States. He spoke on his experiences marketing to Latinos and also hosted a lively Q&A session afterwards. 

The highlight of everything for me, however, was the silent auction. All the proceeds went to local programs in the Hispanic community, and, while everyone was clamoring for VIP Dallas Cowboys tickets (Go Redskins!), I was able snag the GIANT Doritos Tapatio piñata, pictured to the right. Now I just need some ideas on what to do with it. So far my coworkers have suggested home decoration, Halloween costume and fortress of solitude -- do you have any ideas?

- Joe