BRISTOL, Tenn. – AARP Foundation today received a $20,000 donation from the local Pepsi MAX team and Food City in support of AARP’s “Drive to End Hunger,” a national effort to address the issue of older adult hunger. The special check presentation happened at the Food City Race Night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Joining the event was four-time NASCAR Series champion Jeff Gordon.
As part of the Drive to End Hunger campaign, Pepsi MAX and Food City teamed up on an in-store promotion and advertising to raise awareness on the issue of older adult hunger in the United States.
In addition, Pepsi MAX invited Food City shoppers to help it raise donations for the Drive to End Hunger campaign in Tennessee and Virginia through the purchase of participating PepsiCo products from Feb. 23 to March 15.
The donation from Pepsi MAX and Food City will have far-reaching impact, helping families in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
“Nearly 9 million older Americans in communities across the country struggle to put food on the table, so it’s great to be a part of this unique racing program that extends beyond the racetrack,” said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. “This is a problem that we shouldn’t ignore and I’m really thrilled that Pepsi MAX and Food City have joined up with Drive to End Hunger in this important fight.”
“We are so grateful to committed donors like Food City and Pepsi MAX, and not just for raising both awareness of older adult hunger and the funds needed to fight it,” said AARP Foundation President Jo Ann Jenkins. “We know that sustainable solutions to end the threat of hunger will involve engaging people in their communities and the efforts of Pepsi MAX and Food City do exactly that.” Gordon will be driving the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, capping off the exciting weekend that kicked off with the event at Food City Race Night this evening.