The pandemic decreased the number of people eating out and put a lot of strain on restaurants. But this does not mean that hunger decreased. On the contrary, with families struggling and kids out of school, food programs saw more hungry children last year than in any of the previous years. As a result, non-profits in Dallas and across the country scrambled to keep up with the added demands. The local arm of PepsiCo’s Food for Good program has handed out over 3.7 million meals since March of 2020.
PepsiCo started the Food for Good program in 2009 with the goal of providing free and healthy meals to kids in low-income neighborhoods. Since then, they have expanded to 15 states and over 200 employees who have handed out more than 50 million meals to kids in need.
Here in Dallas, the program is run out of an unassuming warehouse in the Stemmons Corridor by Ky Mims. What started as a part-time job has turned into a full-time calling for Ky. “I pulled into a site one day, and when the kiddos saw my van, they just lit up, they just erupted. They were so ready for the meals and just to know that I was part of that, to put a smile on a kid’s face where they may or may not have had something to eat. For that last six years, that has fueled me,” she said. Ky oversees a million-dollar inventory of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and milk that they partner with local schools and churches to distribute. Monday through Friday, you can find the Food for Good employees and their bright blue vans handing out meals.
If you know of a neighborhood or community that could benefit from the Food for Good program, PepsiCo would like to hear from you.