Parsippany, New Jersey-based Ortega will feature St. Jude patient artwork on OrtegaYellow Corn Taco Shells sold nationwide early this year.
Ortega is a brand of Mexican food products including taco shells, taco kits, Mexican seasonings, peppers and taco sauce. The company is also a partner of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
B&G Foods, the owner of the Ortega brand, has been a partner of St. Jude since 2016. In 2021, B&G Foods and its employees donated $700,000 to the hospital, which continues to lead the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Since beginning its partnership, B&G Foods and its employees have donated $2.4 million to the lifesaving mission of St. Jude: finding cures and saving children. In 2022, B&G Foods will continue its support of St. Jude by donating an additional $350,000.
“Family is at the heart of our Ortega brand, and there is no organization that supports families more when they need it most than St. Jude,” said Jordan Greenberg, EVP and chief commercial officer for B&G Foods.
“We’re honored to feature the St. Jude logo and artwork from an incredibly talented patient on our Ortega Yellow Corn Taco Shells to encourage support and bring awareness to consumers,” he said.
The patient whose artwork is featured on the limited-edition Ortega taco shells packaging is 14-year-old Victoria from Florida, whose family was referred to St. Jude after she was diagnosed with suprasellar atypical meningioma.
Victoria’s treatment included proton therapy, and she now visits for regular check-ups. Victoria often uses her skills as a budding artist to donate her artwork to avenues that will raise awareness for St. Jude.
Last month, the World Health Organization and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced plans to establish the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines that will increase access to childhood cancer medicines around the world.
“Support from partners like B&G Foods is critical to the ongoing $11.5 billion, six-year St. Jude strategic plan to accelerate treatment and cures across the world, as well as a $200 million investment to provide cancer medicine to as many as 120,000 children globally by 2027,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“This is the third time that St. Jude patients have had the opportunity to create artwork for B&G Foods’ well-loved brands. We are filled with gratitude for B&G Foods, and all of its employees, for their commitment to the life-saving mission of St. Jude,” he said.
For more information on Ortega or the brand’s partnership, visit ortega.com.
