One in Two Hispanic Households Experience Effects of Digital Literacy Gap; Frito-Lay Partners with LULAC National Educational Service Centers to Provide Free Support

Frito-Lay invests nearly $250,000 to support families during Hispanic Heritage Month

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Frito-Lay today announced a new partnership with LULAC National Educational Service Centers, Inc. (LNESC) to support a digital literacy program and improve the technological abilities of Latino families in eight U.S. markets this year. The program will create learning environments for parents and children of disadvantaged households through skills, resources, and tools needed for digital literacy.

According to a national survey conducted by Morning Consult and Frito-Lay, nearly half of Hispanic households include at least one member who is not digitally literate, defined as the ability to find, evaluate, and communicate information digitally/online. Additionally, about half of all Hispanics nationally say increased digital literacy and technology access would make life easier, and first-generation Hispanics in particular believe it would lead to better job opportunities. 

More than 70% of those surveyed reported that the need for online technology has increased in the past two years and even more for first-generation Hispanics (89%). This underscores the importance of addressing such a critical issue as many Hispanic families have language and cultural barriers that present obstacles to understanding technology and how to use it to their advantage. According to the survey, three in four first-generation Hispanic adults say they are likely to participate in a free digital literacy education program.

"Frito-Lay is committed to supporting our Hispanic communities to lead better lives, and part of that is showing up where our communities need us most," said Aminta Price, Regional Vice President Sales, Frito-Lay West Division, and Hispanic employee resource group (ADELANTE) national chair. "Every family should have the resources and opportunity to not only complete basic tasks in today's digital world, but to use technology to help achieve success."

The new program with LNESC represents an investment of nearly $250,000 and will benefit 240 families wanting to learn how to use laptops, video conferencing and online tools. It will also offer at-risk students from Dallas, Los Angeles, Houston, San Antonio, Topeka, District of Columbia, Atlanta and Vancouver (WA), and their families, an opportunity to participate in a 12-hour program. Beneficiaries will gain more experience in using technology and learn how to leverage new skills and resources to help students be more successful in school. The long-term impact of bilingual digital education will enable participants to access a multitude of information and resources to do schoolwork, financial aid searches, job training, job searches, ESL courses, online citizenship, résumé, college application and GED preparation along with other on-line tools to improve their employment status and future opportunities.

"As the coordinator for the P.U.E.N.T.E.S. program, I am excited to bring this much needed service to support families. It is vital to provide workshops on digital literacy to low-income, immigrant, Spanish-speaking communities because they are often left behind to learn skills that are essential to thrive in today's society," said Andrea Zamora, Interim Director at LNESC Oxnard. "We work to bridge the gap on this divide and uplift families to incorporate online resources to not only support themselves but also their student's educational journey. We are extremely grateful to partner with Frito-Lay whose values of helping the communities they call home align so strongly with our own."

While honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, this program complements PepsiCo's Racial Equality Journey (REJ) Hispanic Initiative, a $172 million set of commitments to increase representation within its workforce, support Hispanic-owned businesses, and help create economic opportunities in Hispanic American communities. This REJ initiative reinforces Frito-Lay's long-standing commitment and history of helping local communities across America for more than 90 years.

"I would recommend this to everyone- the teachers were very patient with me as I am a slow learner. I learned a lot! I am trying to get my daughter to come and bring her children to learn more of this, as this is what we need to function in this world today", said Cecil Dozier, LNESC digital literacy beneficiary in Topeka, Kansas.

Frito-Lay North America is the $19 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. PEP, which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos tortilla chips, Cheetos snacks, Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, SunChips multigrain snacks and Fritos corn chips. The company operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Canada, more than 200 distribution centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week through its direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, www.fritolay.com, on Twitter (@fritolay), on Instagram (@fritolay) and on Facebook (Frito-Lay).

LULAC National Educational Service Centers, Inc. (LNESC) was established in 1973 by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to provide educational programming to high-need students throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Throughout 16 education and technology centers, LNESC has served over 593,000 students, sent 158,000 students on to college, and awarded nearly $29 million in scholarships. LNESC's results are made possible by a network of dedicated field staff, top-notch teachers, over 90 school partners, and the support of LULAC - the nation's largest membership based Latino organization. LNESC works to change lives and build Latino communities, one student at a time. www.LNESC.org

*This poll was conducted between September 9-September 11, 2022 among a national sample of 1,000 Hispanic Adults. The data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Hispanic Adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. A subsample poll was additionally conducted between September 9-September 13, 2022 among 401 First-Gen Hispanics (defined as respondents not born in the U.S.) with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. All interviews were conducted online.

SOURCE Frito-Lay