Living the Promise Blog

Faced with an ever increasing array of choice, consumers have a growing interest in learning more about where their food comes from and supporting local suppliers. As a result, the number of farmers markets in the US has grown tremendously, up 65% since 2005. There are over 107 farmers markets operating in NYC alone! While consumers enjoy interacting with farmers and purchasing their produce, most – especially those living in big cities – have never been to an actual farm. The folks at Lay's®, part of PepsiCo, are trying to do something about that by bringing a one-of-a-kind farm experience to cities across the country. Read more

I wanted to share a few thoughts this week about the PepsiCo volunteers that take time out of their days to get involved with the Food for Good Mobile feeding routes. I had the fortunate pleasure to travel around with several members of the PepsiCo Business + Innovation Solutions (BIS) team on a mobile feeding route one day this week, and I will say it was an uplifting experience on many fronts. Read more

On Friday, July 30, 2010, the Tampa Bay Rays played host to the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field in front of a sold out crowd who helped kick-off ‘Dream Machine Day at Tropicana Field.' Since the stadium is newly equipped with five PepsiCo Dream Machine kiosks, I was on hand to represent PepsiCo and I even got the chance to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the 7th inning stretch. J.R. Martinez, star of ABC-TV soap opera "All My Children" and a graduate of the Florida State University EBV program, was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. J.R., who suffered severe burns to more than 40 percent of his body while serving with the Army in Iraq, went through countless surgeries and hours of... Read more

PepsiCo hosted a women’s breakfast bright and early on Saturday morning.  The event was hosted by Campbell Brown  and featured three PepsiCo female executives, Julie Hamp, Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer, PepsiCo, Dr. Dondeena Bradley, Vice President, Global Design and Development, Nutrition Ventures,  and Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Chief Marketing Officer, Gatorade. All three of these execs expounded upon the impact that blogging has on PepsiCo and their jobs individually and how much they truly value and rely on it.  You always wonder if your voice is being heard when you post your thoughts in the vast blogosphere and it was valuable to hear that one voice does make a difference – especially when that voice adds to a chorus.  These voices create a very candid dialogue, which companies like PepsiCo are reliant upon for driving their strategy. Overall, what I found very refreshing in this... Read more

While the first part of the day I got lost in the sea of sponsors and swag, the second half of the day I set to meeting people. Sure, I saw a fair share of spectacles and met a few doe-eyed gals in their first visit to a big city but what struck me most was the passion and integrity I felt from a lot of these women. Read more

I'm headed to the Big Apple for my first appearance at the sixth annual BlogHer Conference.  I'm honored to be covering it on behalf of my magnanimous employer, PepsiCo.  I was approached a couple weeks back with the offer to attend the conference and it took me about a nanosecond to decide to come.  A weekend in the glitz and grit of NYC surrounded by passionate women who have a voice to share.  What an awesome opportunity! Read more

Last week I lead a group of 30 Pepsi volunteers to help out at the Food Bank of Westchester.  This is the third year I’ve been leading a team for the Pepsi Gives Back program, because it makes me feel proud to work for a company that gives back to the community. I selected the Food Bank of Westchester because it helps needy families and people in our own county.  Last year alone, it distributed over 6 million pounds of food to Westchester residents. Despite last Friday’s 90-degree temperatures,  our team worked hard inside a hot warehouse, sorting, categorizing, checking and re-packaging food donations to prepare them for distribution.  Some of the volunteers have already expressed an interest in returning with other people from Pepsi at a future date. This project is a true testament to Pepsi’s dedication to “Performance with Purpose”. Ed Yee - Senior Finance Analyst,... Read more

So #9 on my bucket list is definitely not “Paint a Barn,” but that was what I found myself doing on a sweltering Friday at Muscoot Farm in Somers, New York.., along with more than 20 of my PBC/PepsiCo colleagues for PBC Gives Back Days 2010.  Painting is not hard-work, per se, but doing ANYTHING in temperatures above 95 sure is! We really made a difference at Muscoot.  Not only did a really, really (REALLY) big barn get painted (red of course,) – we cleared so much brush at the farm’s property line that we could see clear across Rt. 100. (They used a machete – I didn’t visit that area too often!) Another group of volunteers assembled ten picnic tables in a “notably” smelly barn, and then moved them outside to the “fresh” humid air for another group to stain them. At lunchtime, we immediately reaped the... Read more

I’ve been with the PBC family for 10 years and this is my third year participating in the PBC Gives Back program. On July 16th, 9 headquarters employees and I participated in the PBC Gives Back event in Danbury, CT at Family and Children’s Aid (FCAP). FCA has been a refuge for abused and neglected children who are without protection, without parental support and without – tragically – hope. More than just offering the basic human rights of food, clothing and shelter, FCA strives to heal and support Connecticut’s children and families by meeting a higher level of need, teaching them about respect, compassion and trust. Working with the FCA has opened our eyes to the needs of every child in our local community. The volunteers were able to focus their time in completely rebuilding a stone paver patio for a women’s safe house, and they... Read more

Last Friday, I dedicated my day to painting at Kids in Crisis (KIC) in Cos Cob, CT.  I was just one of a team of about 20 employees from the IT, HR, Supply Chain, and other functions from PBC’s Somers office to participate in this project.  This was my third year of helping with PBC Gives Back, and it was a really rewarding experience. Kids in Crisis does so much to provide a safe place and assist our youth through the most difficult times.  The organization is right in my community, so I felt great about being there to help out.   I was impressed and inspired by the efforts of so many co-workers from all around the NY/CT region.  Even though we are all so busy right now, everyone was committed to getting the job done and giving back to the community.  The staff members at... Read more