Volunteer Fire Departments Awarded Grants, Fundraising Kits through 2026 Nutella® Stacks for Giving Back Program

July 28, 2026

$50,000 in grants awarded through a partnership between Nutella, Pearl Milling Company, and NVFC

As a brand that aspires to spread smiles for over 60 years, Nutella® shines a light on those who spread positivity in their local communities through the Stacks for Giving Back program, in partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). Now in its third year, Nutella is once again providing $25,000 in grants to support volunteer fire departments. New this year, Pearl Milling Company®, the official pancake partner of Nutella, contributed an additional $25,000, bringing the program’s total grant funding to $50,000.

Volunteer fire departments are the backbone of their communities, protecting their neighbors and providing response to an array of emergencies from fires to medical emergencies to vehicle crashes and much more. Yet these departments often struggle to find the funding needed to purchase equipment, recruit and retain firefighters, and keep up with high pressure demand due to increasing call volume, new training requirements, and rising costs.

To help meet this need, the 2026 Nutella Stacks for Giving Back program awarded 10 volunteer fire departments with $5,000 grants to purchase the necessities that will make their responders safer, more effective, and better prepared to serve their communities.

The recipients of the 2026 Stacks for Giving Back grants are as follows, along with what they will purchase with the grant:

  • Camp Creek Volunteer Fire Department (Lancaster, SC) – firefighter pagers and necessary accessories to ensure full operational readiness
  • Federal Dam (MN) Fire and Rescue – repairs to restore primary water tanker to ensure reliable water supply for fire suppression
  • Little River (KS) Fire Department – department pagers to update communication systems and equipment that will improve incident notification and response
  • Northwest County Volunteer Fire (El Paso, TX) – equip a frontline brush truck to improve firefighter safety, reduce response times, and strengthen protection in rural service areas
  • Rosa Fire Department (Oneonta, AL) – NFPA compliant portable radio to improve communication capabilities and enhance firefighter safety
  • Rossville Volunteer Fire Department (Poteet, TX) – communications equipment to improve safety and coordination
  • Russell Prater Volunteer Fire Department (Grundy, VA) – thermal imaging camera to enhance firefighter safety, search and rescue efficiency, and fire suppression operations
  • Southmayd (TX) Volunteer Fire Department – two sets of new structural firefighting gear to better protect their firefighters
  • Three Mile Fire Department (Stevensville, MT) – AutoPulse Resuscitation System to provide life-saving circulation during transport to the hospital
  • Wheeler Frankstown Volunteer Fire Department (Booneville, MS) – new hoses to extinguish fires more quickly and effectively

Since many fire departments rely on donations received through local fundraising events, Nutella also provided 350 volunteer fire departments with a Pancake Breakfast Kit containing the necessary supplies and ingredients to host their next fundraiser. Each kit contained jars of Nutella, Pearl Milling Company pancake mix, a Visa gift card, griddle breakfast kit accessories, Nutella apron, red spatula, menu table cards, window/wall decals, and a custom Stacks for Giving Back patch.

“We are grateful for the support of Nutella and Pearl Milling Company to enable local volunteer fire departments to secure the resources they need to best serve their communities,” said NVFC Chair Steve Hirsch. “These grants and fundraising kits will have a direct impact in improving safety and efficiency for our nation’s boots on the ground responders.”

“Growing this program with Pearl Milling Company this year let us double our grant funding and reach even more volunteer departments,” said Seth Gonzalez, Marketing Director, Nutella, Ferrero North America. “These grants and kits are a small thank you for the people who show up for their neighbors every single day – turning pancake breakfasts into real support these departments can put straight to work.”

Learn more about the Stacks for Giving Back program at www.nvfc.org/nutellastacksforgivingback.

About Nutella®
Nutella was born in 1964. The unique hazelnut spread that millions of people around the world love is made with a meticulous selection of high-quality ingredients and an exacting, artisan-inspired production. Today, the popular hazelnut spread is available in around 160 countries worldwide and has expanded to offer delicious snacks filled with creamy Nutella, including Nutella Biscuits, Nutella B-ready, and Nutella & Go

About Ferrero®
Ferrero began in the small town of Alba in Piedmont, Italy, in 1946. Today, it is one of the world’s largest sweet-packaged food companies, with over 35 iconic brands sold in more than 170 countries. The Ferrero Group brings joy to people around the world with much-loved treats and snacks including Nutella®, Kinder®, Tic Tac®, and Ferrero Rocher®. More than 47,000 employees are passionate about helping people celebrate life’s special moments. The Ferrero Group’s family culture, now in its third generation, is based on dedication to quality and excellence, heritage, and a commitment to the planet and communities in which we operate.

Ferrero entered the North American market in 1969 and has grown to more than 5,400 employees in 15 plants and warehouses, and eight offices in North America across the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. It has expanded its presence and portfolio with the addition of iconic brands such as Butterfinger®, CRUNCH®, Keebler®, Famous Amos®, Mother’s Cookies®, and other distinctive cookie and chocolate brands. Follow @FerreroNACorp on X and Instagram. www.ferreronorthamerica.com

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo is the parent company of Pearl Milling Company. PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $94 billion in net revenue in 2025, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and drinks, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that places sustainability at the center of our business strategy, seeking to drive growth and build a stronger, more resilient future for PepsiCo and the communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.