Jacksonville, FL – In the spirit of the season, today the Jacksonville Jaguars,Publix, PepsiCo and Feeding Northeast Florida provided Publix Holiday meal bags for 1,300 families, seniors and veterans in time for the holiday season. They were joined by supporting partners of hunger relief, Pajcic & Pajcic Law Firm, Century Ambulance and Stahl Meyer Foods.
The partners gathered in the West Club at TIAA Bank Field alongside Jaguars players, Jaxson de Ville and THE ROAR of the Jaguars, to distribute the meals to 28 community partners. They will in-turn deliver the food directly to area families, seniors and veterans. This is the eleventh year the Jaguars have donated Publix food bags across the Northeast Florida region.
“Feeding Northeast Florida provides essential meals to thousands of First Coast families all year long, and the Jaguars are honored to participate in their mission during of the holidays alongside our partners,” said Jaguars President Mark Lamping. “Jacksonville is our home, and we believe in taking care of our own, which must begin with meeting the needs of those who struggle to put food on the table.”
Volunteers from Feeding Northeast Florida assembled the food, filling Publix reusable holiday bags with 1,300 Publix holiday meals. Families will enjoy a mix of non-perishables, such as canned corn and green beans, stuffing mix, cornbread mix, gravy mix, and fresh foods, including potatoes, carrots, apples and oranges, along with candy canes and a box of cookies. Each family, senior and/or veteran will also receive a $10 Publix food card to buy a meat or other food item of their choice. In addition, PepsiCo will be providing Pepsi and Frito Lay products.
Dwaine Stevens, Media & Community Relations Manager at Publix, said,“Publix works year-round with Feeding Northeast Florida to provide food for hungry children and families. It is especially important at this time of year that we can partner with the Jaguars and PepsiCo to help ensure that every family can gather together for a warm meal during the holidays.”
“As part of Pepsi’s year-around hunger relief effort, we are proud to help provide meals to those in need in the Jacksonville community this holiday season,” saidRich Panner, Vice President, Pepsi Beverages North America.
The Jaguars Foundation coordinated with the following nonprofit groups to receive Publix holiday food bags to distribute to families: 5 STAR Veterans Center, The Arc Jacksonville, Boys & Girls Clubs of Nassau County, Cathedral Residences, Ed White Leadership Academy, Englewood High School, Family Promise, Florida Survivor Outreach Services, Fresh Ministries, Girls Inc., Heart for Children, Tom Coughlin Jay Fund, JDRF, Jewish Family Community Services, L’Arche Harbor House, MaliVai Washington, Matthew Gilbert Middle School, Neighbor to Family, North East Florida Women’s Veteran Group, Rethreaded, Salvation Army, Sanctuary on 8th Street, St. Demetrious Greek Orthodox Church, St. Gerard Campus, Sulzbacher Center, YMCA – Tiger Academy, Touchstone Village, USO of Greater Jacksonville, Wounded Warrior Project and Well Church.
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“Our community has the resources to help bridge the hunger gap. Today, we are one step closer to that end,” said Feeding Northeast Florida President and CEO,Susan King. “Children and families, veterans and seniors will have a more filling holiday due to this collaboration.”
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About Publix
Publix is privately owned and operated by its more than 200,000 employees, with 2018 sales of $36.1 billion. Currently, Publix has 1,239 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. For 22 consecutive years, the company has been named one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, and Publix ranked No. 1 on Fortune’s inaugural list of Best Big Companies to Work For in 2019. In addition, Publix’s dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized among the top in the grocery business. For more information, visit the company’s website,corporate.publix.com.
About Feeding Northeast Florida
Feeding Northeast Florida, a member of the Feeding America network of food banks, works daily to provide healthy food and critical resources to those locally struggling with food insecurity across eight regional counties. In 2018, more than 14 million meals were distributed throughout Northeast Florida through the organization’s robust hunger-relief network of 160 partners and programs. For more information about Feeding Northeast Florida, visit feedingnefl.org.
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 $64 billion in net revenue in 2018, 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.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. “Winning with Purpose” reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
