Don’t be surprised if you see a smiling Michigander on a bag of Lay’s potato chips.
Two residents, Najah Bazzy of Canton and Khali Sweeney of Detroit, are among 30 people whose smiles have been selected to appear on bags to benefit Operation Smile. Both were selected for their extraordinary contributions in helping the homeless, veterans, youth, elderly and others.
Bazzy, who was among 10 people named to the “CNN Heroes” list in October 2019, strives to help to women, children and refugee families by providing basic necessities, education and job training through her non-profit Zaman International. Her smile will appear on Lay’s barbeque and Lay’s wavy original chip bags.
Sweeney is the founder of Downtown Boxing Gym, a free after-school academic and athletic program in Detroit with a 100 percent high school graduation rate. His smile will appear on bags of several flavors of chips including Lay’s kettle beer cheese, Lay’s hot sauce, Lay’s classic and Lay’s wavy original.
The more than 70 different bag designs were created using CGI technology after COVID-19 concerns forced the cancellation the in-person production that would have brought all the “Everyday Smilers” to Dallas for a VIP photo and video shoot experience.
Each participant was instead sent detailed instructions on how to capture self-portraits using their phones – and the resulting amateur photos were professionally enhanced for transferring on to the Lay’s bags.
Two residents, Najah Bazzy of Canton (left) and Khali Sweeny of Detroit (right), are among 30 people whose smiles have been selected to appear on bags of Lay's chips to benefit Operation Smile.Lay's
“Having pored through thousands of nominations and already being personally committed to these smiles ourselves, particularly now when people are looking for more reasons to smile than ever before, we knew we couldn’t let a cancelled photo shoot keep Lay’s from sharing these inspiring stories with the world,” said Sadira Furlow, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America.
“Across stores and within households, Lay’s has the power to reach millions of Americans every day. We already know that what’s inside the bag brings joy but turning the Lay’s bag into a canvas to multiply that happiness factor is what makes the Smiles program so special.”
Lay’s has donated $1 million to Operation Smile, which provides safe surgeries for those born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial differences, as part of the campaign.
The Lay’s Smiles bags are available nationwide while supplies last.