PepsiCo Foundation partners with Smile Foundation for Gurugram fight against COVID-19

Amid fast-rising Covid-19 cases in the Delhi-NCR region, PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo, in collaboration with NGO, Smile Foundation provided Covid-19 safety kits to the Gurugram administration. The safety kits include key preventive items like masks and digital thermometers along with Oxymeters, thermal scanners, and oxygen concentrators. The initiative aims at supporting the Gurugram administration towards effective management of the pandemic

The Covid-19 safety kits were handed over in the presence of Nishant Yadav, IAS, Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram, Ankita Choudhary, IAS, SDM (North), Gurugram, and Joieta Rajput, Chief Manager, Sustainable Development, Smile Foundation. Members of the PepsiCo India team present at the handing over occasion included Himanshu Priyadarshi, Director, Public Policy and Government Affairs, Juhi Gupta, Head Sustainability, and Amit Nanchahal, Associate Director, Corporate Communications. The safety kits include over 15,000 masks (N-95) which have been made mandatory amid an uptick in Covid-19 cases in Delhi-NCR recently. 

Commenting on the surge of Covid-19 cases, Nishant Yadav, IAS, Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram, said “There has been a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in Gurugram and neighboring districts. Wearing face masks has been made mandatory and everyone is urged to follow all Covid safety protocols and restrain from lowering their guard against Covid-19. We would like to thank PepsiCo India for their continued efforts and support in the effective management of the pandemic.” 

About the initiative, Subroto Roy, Senior Director, Operations, Smile Foundation, said, “We are happy to partner with PepsiCo Foundation to fight the fast-rising cases of Covid -19 in Gurugram.  This initiative is in line with our commitment to aid local administrations across the country and join hands in the fight against a possible resurgence of infections.” 

Commenting on the initiative, Himanshu Priyadarshi, Director, Public Policy and Government Affairs, PepsiCo India said, “Being a responsible and committed corporate, PepsiCo India has been working towards supporting the Government’s covid-19 relief efforts and coordinating action at scale. We stand with the local administration and are actively supporting them in fighting against the fast-rising covid cases in Gurugram.” 

In the light of the fast-rising Covid cases, PepsiCo Foundation, through its partnership with Smile partnership is providing over 50,000 PPE kits, along with digital thermometers, thermal scanners, oxymeters, concentrators & over 1 lakh N95 masks, across 11 States including Haryana to support the administration in its fight against Covid.

In the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, PepsiCo India distributed 4 lakh meals to the underserved population through the distribution of take-home ration kits, in Gurugram. The company also launched an initiative to distribute hygiene kits to the sanitation workers in Gurugram and create awareness on mask usage and compliance. 

More about PepsiCo India’s Covid-19 community assistance efforts:

Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, PepsiCo India has been actively stepping up its community support programs. The company has provided over 10 million meals to underserved communities and has made over 35,000 Covid-19 test kits available to various government labs and hospitals. The effort involved PepsiCo India partnering with leading NGOs such as Akshaya Patra Foundation, Smile Foundation, CII Foundation, and Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND). The company also provided hygiene kits to farmers and truck drivers across states including Haryana to ensure their well-being and safety during the pandemic. 

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About PepsiCo India: PepsiCo India: PepsiCo entered India in 1989 and has grown to become one of the largest food and beverage businesses in India. PepsiCo India’s diverse portfolio includes iconic brands like Pepsi, Lay’s, Kurkure, Tropicana 100%, Gatorade and Quaker.

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. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world is what enables PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. In 2009, PepsiCo India achieved a significant milestone, by becoming the first business to achieve ‘Positive Water Balance’ in the beverage world, a fact verified by Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu India Pvt. Ltd. The company has been Water Positive since then. For more information, please visit www.pepsicoindia.co.in

About Smile Foundation: Smile Foundation is an Indian development organization directly benefiting over 1.5 million children and families through more than 400 welfare projects on education, healthcare, livelihood, and women empowerment spread across 2,000 villages and urban slums in 25 states.