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Special to the Advance

Main Street Atmore Foundation officials announced recently that they were recognized with a Smiles in Action Award from the PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo Inc., one of the world’s leading food and beverage companies.

The program is a part of the company’s efforts to support local communities by providing resources for valuable programming, such as Main Street Atmore’s Façade Incentive Program, Main Street Atmore Executive Director Shinora Redmond said.

Main Street Atmore is one of 22 501c3 public charities and organizations across the country to be identified as a Smiles in Action Award winner.

Through strategic partnerships, such as the Smiles in Action Award, the PepsiCo Foundation seeks to tackle the long-term challenges facing the global food system and do the most good for the most people, with awards focusing on increasing positive nutrition; spurring prosperity for women and girls; having a positive water impact; and, increasing sustainability efforts, according to a release.

“Henry Ford said, ‘Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success.’ And that is exactly what we are doing in downtown Atmore,” Redmond said.

When the devastating impact of COVD-19 on communities around the world became clear, PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation provided vital support in response to the unprecedented crisis, according to a release.

The grant announced recently provides funding for local organizations that are able to have an immediate, direct impact on their communities.

“We look up to the community organizations across America that work tirelessly every day to ensure their neighbors thrive,” said C.D. Glin, vice president of the PepsiCo Foundation and global head of philanthropy. “PepsiCo has a long history of working with local partners to invest in communities where our consumers and employees live and work, and we’re proud to support these organizations in making lasting change.”