GENYOUth, the national non-profit organization founded by America’s dairy farmers and the NFL to create healthier school communities, announced today the completion of its Mission 57: End Student Hunger initiative with the awarding of Grab and Go meal equipment and NFL FLAG-In-Schools kits to the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU). Combined with recent grants to Tucson Unified and Casa Grande Elementary School Districts, and with the support of purpose-minded partners including Frito-Lay North America, The Quaker Oats Company, and the PepsiCo Foundation in collaboration with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and the Dairy Council of Arizona, GENYOUth has provided school meal equipment packages to 22 Arizona schools over the past three weeks.

At Central High School in Phoenix this morning, over 100 students joined former Arizona Cardinal and NFL Legend Drew Stanton, along with school district officials and community leaders including Principal Leticia Avalos, to celebrate the arrival of new school meal equipment, including breakfast/meal carts, mobile milk coolers, and NFL FLAG-In-Schools kits.

Today’s grant marks the completion of Mission 57: End Student Hunger, a community initiative aligned with Super Bowl LVII which has – through additional support provided by BHHS Legacy Foundation, Fiesta Bowl Charities, Fry’s Food Stores, and the ISA Foundation — provided a total of 57 equipment packages to help tackle food insecurity and increase physical activity in high-need Arizona schools. Nearly one in five² children in Arizona are living in food insecurity yet the state ranks in the bottom half of all states in school breakfast participation³.

All totaled, Mission 57 will provide access to over 8.5 million school meals among 31,000 Arizona students. Super Bowl LVII’s commitment to tackling student food insecurity will continue on Saturday, February 11, with Taste of the NFL presented by Frito Lay, Quaker and PepsiCo Foundation, at Chateau Luxe in Phoenix ().

“Over 30 million students rely on school meals for a significant portion of their daily nutrition, and for many, it is the only meal they receive on some days. Our Grab and Go meal equipment has been proven to increase average daily meal participation by as much as 27 percent by reducing barriers to school breakfast in the cafeteria including lack of time and stigma,” said Ann Marie Krautheim, M.A., R.D., L.D., CEO of GENYOUth. “Mission 57, with the support of Frito-Lay, Quaker, the PepsiCo Foundation, and other purpose-minded partners, has addressed youth food insecurity where it is most needed, in high-need school communities including Phoenix. Together we are providing a crucial step forward in ending student hunger in Arizona.”

“The Phoenix Union High School District serves over 28,000 beautiful young people in Arizona’s capital city,” said Dr. Chad Gestson, PXU Superintendent. “Although our District receives free meals for all students thanks to various national programs, our schools need support feeding our kids. PXU thanks GENYOUth, Frito-Lay, Quaker, the PepsiCo Foundation, and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee for their generous grant, which will help to increase our student’s participation.”

“I am honored to be supporting Mission 57: End Student Hunger in Arizona and participating in today’s school event in Phoenix Union High School District,” said Drew Stanton, former Arizona Cardinal and NFL Legend. “Tackling student food insecurity needs to be a top priority, as daily school meals along with regular physical activity leads to improved health and academic performance.”

“Frito-Lay, Quaker and PepsiCo Foods North America are proud to support GENYOUth in providing critical equipment that directly impacts students and alleviates food insecurity in Arizona,” said Joan Cetera, Vice President of Communications, PepsiCo Foods North America. “We are committed to meeting the needs of communities in which we serve, and with the support of PepsiCo Foundation, Frito-Lay and Quaker we are providing essential resources to allow communities to thrive.”

“Through our Food for Good efforts, the PepsiCo Foundation is committed to addressing food insecurity by increasing equitable access to nutritious foods and other critical resources in the communities where we live and work throughout the United States,” said C.D. Glin, President, PepsiCo Foundation, and Global Head of Philanthropy, PepsiCo. “Alongside Quaker and Frito-Lay, our support of GENYOUth’s Mission 57 and Taste of the NFL initiatives enables us to sustain a commitment to and focus on Arizona’s next generation of leaders. As part of the overall Mission 57 initiative, we are proud that our support will positively impact over 12,000 students and help to increase access to over 3 million school meals.”

“Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is proud to be a supporter of Mission 57, and with Super Bowl LVII just a few days away, we thank GENYOUth and all partners and supporters who are prioritizing the health and well-being of students today and every day,” said Jay Parry, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee.

“Dairy farmers in Arizona and throughout the nation are committed year-round to the health and well-being of our nation’s children. We are proud to be partnering with GENYOUth and other partners to ensure school meal participation and to provide equitable access to nutritious dairy products,” said Tammy Baker, General Manager, Dairy Council of Arizona.