I ndia had to impose one of the most stringent lockdowns in the wake of the global spread of coronavirus. The pandemic also had a cascading impact on the livelihoods of migrant workers, which in turn, led to their displacement in many parts of the country. The need of the hour was to extend quick help and support t o t h e m o s t i m p a c t e d . T h e Government of India (GoI) initiated a food relief program as the hunger issue crisis grew in India. Given the dire need of feeding the vulnerable sections, PepsiCo India stepped up and supported the GoI in the food relief efforts across the country. Additionally, there was also a critical requirement to scale up the Covid testing capacity in the country. In a bid to make testing available to greater number of people, PepsiCo India also supported the Ministry of Health and Family  Welfare , Government of India (MoHFW) in their efforts to accelerate the testing capacity by providing quality Covid-19 testing kits to Govt. labs and hospitals. Considering the pressing need of providing food and testing kits to the citizens, PepsiCo India engaged with leading NGOs for distribution of meals and provided Covid-19 testing kits.

Meals for the underprivileged communities

PepsiCo initiated its global program “Give Meals, Give Hope” in India to support the affected communities. To bring alive the program. PepsiCo India joined hands with the leading nonGovernment organizations (NGOs) — Akshaya Patra Foundation, Smile Foundation, and CII Foundation — to support the communities most impacted by Covid-19 outbreak.

PepsiCo India, in partnership with its NGO partners, provided onground food relief measures including dry rations and cooked meals to the underserved communities. The onground meal distribution drives were held across 13 states and were flagged off by key officials and stakeholders from the respective state governments. The government authorities not only supported the initiative but also played a huge role in providing meals to the people without any hindrance. Additionally, they encouraged the initiative on social media.

As part of the initiative, PepsiCo India also reached out to families of artists, musicians, and singers in Mysuru who had not been able to make their living through live performances in the initial months of the lockdown. This special gesture was appreciated by the entire artist community across the State.

The “Give Meals, Give Hope” program was rolled out in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bihar, Gujarat, and Odisha. Over 10 million meals were distributed to the most affected communities, out of which around 3 million were contributed by the employees of PepsiCo India.

Scaling up Covid-19 testing capacity Another key intervention and the need of the hour was scaling up of Covid-19 testing. In pursuance of sustaining the tests throughout the country, PepsiCo India partnered with Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) to expand the volume of testing. With testing a priority of the moment, PepsiCo India provided over 35,000 testing kits to government authorized healthcare laboratories. All kits were approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and were procured and distributed by FIND. PepsiCo India would like to thank all its stakeholders including NGO partners, employees, and government officials for their timely support.

Supporting the nation in these challenging times Speaking about the community initiatives, Ahmed El Sheikh, President, PepsiCo India, said, “At PepsiCo India, contributing positively to the communities where we operate, is an integral part of our ‘Winning with Purpose’ vision. Given the challenges posed by Covid-19, we saw it as an opportunity to serve the local communities by enabling access to food for millions and ensure that Covid-19 testing kits reached the various government hospitals and labs in time. It was heartening to see the various state government authorities and NGO partners extend their full support to PepsiCo India to make a difference on ground.”

Speaking on the initiatives, Santanu Mishra, Co-Founder & Trustee, Smile Foundation, said, “We are thankful to PepsiCo India for partnering with us on our drive to serve the underserved in these challenging times. Through mitigating the hunger crisis by distributing ration kits, the underprivileged population of the country was able to focus on the pandemic at hand and take appropriate health and safety precautions. We believe that this brought in a change at the ground level and helped communities curb the spread of Covid-19.