Plano-based Frito-Lay honors New Orleans resident honored for following her passion

by PegNews wire

PLANO — Inspired by the belief that everyone has a singular passion in life, TrueNorth is recognizing real people who have pursued their life's passions or their "true north." TrueNorth is PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division's line of natural nut snacks. For the month of July, they recognize the story of Monique Pilie, founder of the non-profit organization Hike for KaTREEna.

A native of New Orleans, Pilie's true north is helping to replant trees that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Hike for KaTREEna began in April 2006, when Pilie set out to hike the 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail to raise awareness of the storm's impact on the city's treescape. Her goal was to raise enough money to plant one tree in New Orleans for every mile she hiked. Her six-month trek generated $30,000 and in October 2008 the goal of planting 2,175 trees was accomplished. Today, the organization has set a new goal of planting 100,000 trees, the estimated number of trees lost during Hurricane Katrina. Through money raised during the hike and continued donations from people around the world, her efforts have provided New Orleans residents a new-found hope.

"While New Orleans is still a city struggling to recover, I have found that planting trees brings people together and gives people hope for a better future," Pilie said.

The TrueNorth brand encourages consumers to continue to submit a written essay that describes how they are pursuing their life's passions through the brand's website. The brand will select a "Story of the Month" each month through December that will be prominently featured on the web site. In addition to being featured online, the recipient of "Story of the Month" will be awarded a $1,000 grant and a passion pack to help in the pursuit of his or her passion.

"Whether you lived in New Orleans or saw it from your homes, I think we were all impacted by Hurricane Katrina" said Regan Ebert, vice president and general manager, warehouse direct business, Frito-Lay North America. "Monique's passion for New Orleans inspired us. She is truly following her true north and in return has given New Orleans and the lives of so many others extraordinary meaning."

Source: Frito-Lay

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