Rebuilding Together Atlanta and Pepsi Beverages Company Revitalize Carter G. Woodson Elementary School

Rebuilding Together and Pepsi's Fall Grants Projects Occur Nationwide

ATLANTA, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rebuilding Together Atlanta, an affiliate of the nation's leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable homeownership, is working with Pepsi Beverages Company (PBC) to drive revitalization efforts to a local elementary school, Carter G Woodson Elementary.

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This project is one of seven Rebuilding Together affiliate projects awarded fall 2010 grants from PBC. The amount of grants donated by Pepsi totals more than $100,000, which gives affiliates the means to help homeowners and community centers free of charge, across the country this fall.

"The work being completed will not only directly benefit the teachers, staff and students, but it will also benefit the health and welfare of our school system and community," said Jan Jordan, executive director of Rebuilding Together Atlanta. "Pepsi's dedication to our community will allow our neighborhoods to continue on a path of positive growth and revitalization."

PBC associates will join the Rebuilding Together Dallas team to revitalize The Salvation Army community center. In addition to refurbishing the community center in Dallas, Pepsi Beverages Company, the North American beverage business unit of PepsiCo, is mobilizing associates in its six business units to refurbish homes and community centers in San Diego, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Seattle throughout the months of September and October.

Carter Woodson Elementary School (K-5) has been serving the Atlanta area for over 40 years.  Located in a low-income area of Atlanta, the school serves over 400 students, and was recently recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. The students at Woodson are called "scholars" because Dr. Carter G. Woodson was the second African-American to receive his doctorate from Harvard University, therefore high expectations, hard work and risk taking is mandatory at Woodson.

The Pepsi Beverages Company has adopted this school and has raised funds on their behalf. The project will engage over 60 volunteers to engage in a varied workscope, including: building book shelves, painting and some exterior work.

As a National Corporate Sponsor, the Pepsi Beverages Company has been an active collaborator and sponsor of many Rebuilding Together projects and efforts since 2008. During this time, nearly $1 million has been utilized to serve communities in need through Pepsi's support of Rebuilding Together. These contributions are an articulation of PBC's and PepsiCo's dedication to "Performance with Purpose" – Pepsi's commitment to give back to the communities in which it serves as well as delivering sustainable growth. The 'PBC Gives Back' projects identified by Rebuilding Together preserve affordable homeownership by providing repair, accessibility modifications, and energy efficient upgrades for low-income homeowners and community centers serving low-income neighborhoods.

"Pepsi is committed to serving homeowners and communities who are in need of our resources and volunteer-power," said Catherine Patterson, senior manager, PBC Foundation & Community Engagement. "We are pleased to continue our work with Rebuilding Together to deliver tangible impact to communities nationwide and rebuild houses and centers into safer and warmer places."

ABOUT REBUILDING TOGETHER ATLANTA

As an affiliate of the nation's largest volunteer home repair organization, our mission is to preserve and revitalize houses and communities. With volunteer labor, we can leverage each dollar of capital to provide five dollars of impact. The time and talent of each volunteer empowers us to offer our services at no cost to the homeowner.

Rebuilding Together is unique in its approach. Together we impact an entire community, not just a single home. Rebuilding Together Atlanta provides year-round home rehabilitation service, disability access modifications and home attic insulation.

About Pepsi Beverages Company

Pepsi Beverages Company (PBC) is PepsiCo's beverage manufacturing, sales and distribution operating unit in the United States, Canada and Mexico. PBC handles approximately 75 percent of PepsiCo's North America beverage volume. Its diverse portfolio includes some of the world's most widely recognized beverage brands, including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Aquafina, Gatorade, SoBe, Lipton, and Amp Energy. In many markets, PBC also manufactures and/or distributes non-Pepsi brands, including Dr Pepper, Crush, ROCKSTAR, and Muscle Milk. The operating unit is headquartered in Westchester County, New York and employs approximately 70,000 people. Learn more about PBC at www.pepsico.com/pbc.

SOURCE Rebuilding Together Atlanta