Brandon Miller & Electrolux: Cooking Up a Sustainable Future with Charlotte's Youth

CHARLOTTE, NC – April 22, 2026 – On a day dedicated to the planet, the sound of children's excitement filled the kitchens at Electrolux Group's Charlotte headquarters. The main attraction wasn't a new appliance, but a 6-foot-9-inch Charlotte Hornets star. NBA standout Brandon Miller traded his basketball for a baker's apron, joining third-grade students not for a scrimmage, but for a hands-on lesson in how food choices can shape a healthier world.

The Earth Day event, a partnership between the Electrolux Group Food Foundation and Miller's own Team Miller Foundation, brought students from the local Mallard Creek STEM Academy for an immersive experience. Dubbed the 'Food Heroes' event, the day was a whirlwind of interactive games, cooking activities, and lessons designed to make the complex topic of sustainability digestible for young minds. Students explored the journey of food from farm to table, learned practical ways to reduce waste, and discovered the powerful connection between their plates, their health, and the environment.

A Slam Dunk for Sustainability Education

The highlight for the young students was undoubtedly baking alongside Brandon Miller. The Hornets forward, a rising star in the league, shared personal insights on how a healthy diet fuels his performance on the court, drawing a direct line between nutritious food and achieving one's goals.

"I want these kids to know that eating well isn't just about being healthy — it's about being your best self, on the court, in the classroom and in life," Miller shared during the event. His presence transformed abstract concepts about nutrition into a tangible and aspirational message for the children.

This sentiment was echoed by Electrolux Group leadership, who see the initiative as a core part of their corporate purpose. "Educating the next generation about sustainable nutrition is an important part of our purpose to shape living for the better," said Patrick Minogue, head of Electrolux Group North America. "Through Food Heroes and partnerships like this one, we're investing in long‑term impact that starts with children and extends to communities worldwide."

More Than a One-Day Event

While the Earth Day activation in Charlotte was a special occasion, it represents a single chapter in a much larger story. The event is part of the global 'Food Heroes' program, a far-reaching educational initiative developed by the Electrolux Food Foundation. Launched in 2019 in collaboration with UNICEF's World's Largest Lesson, the program has a singular, ambitious mission: to inspire sustainable eating habits in children aged 7 to 11.

Since its inception, the program has engaged and educated more than 400,000 children in over 40 countries, leveraging partnerships with global organizations like Worldchefs and the youth-led network AIESEC. The curriculum is designed to be universally accessible and impactful, covering food origins, waste reduction, and the environmental impact of what we eat.

To ensure the lessons extend beyond a single workshop, the foundation offers its comprehensive 'Food Heroes Toolkit' as a free, open-source resource online. Available in 11 languages, the toolkit empowers parents, teachers, and community leaders anywhere in the world to teach the critical connection between food and the planet, dramatically scaling the program's potential impact.

An Authentic and Aligned Partnership

The collaboration between a global appliance giant and a professional athlete is a model of modern corporate social responsibility, one that thrives on authenticity. The partnership with Brandon Miller and the Team Miller Foundation is a natural fit, rooted in shared values. Founded in June 2023, Miller's foundation, led by his mother Yolanda Miller, is dedicated to bridging resource gaps for underserved families, with a key focus on food insecurity and educational empowerment.

The foundation has already been active in the Charlotte community, distributing Thanksgiving meals and hosting youth sports camps. Miller's involvement in the Food Heroes event is not a one-off celebrity appearance but an extension of a demonstrated, personal commitment to youth and community well-being. This alignment ensures the message resonates with sincerity, a crucial element when engaging young audiences and their families.

The Corporate Playbook for a Greener Future

For Electrolux Group, the Food Heroes program is a key expression of a deep-seated, company-wide commitment to sustainability that goes far beyond community outreach. The global appliance manufacturer operates under its 'For the Better 2030' sustainability framework, which includes an ambitious, science-based target to be climate neutral in its own operations by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions across its entire value chain by 2050.

This commitment is validated by external experts. The company has consistently earned top marks from the CDP, a global non-profit that runs the world's leading environmental disclosure system, and is a recognized leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. By integrating sustainability into the core of its business—from product design using low-impact refrigerants to its operational footprint—Electrolux positions initiatives like Food Heroes not as peripheral philanthropy, but as a vital part of its holistic strategy to foster a more sustainable world.

Planting Seeds in Fertile Ground

The choice of Mallard Creek STEM Academy as the local partner was equally strategic. The charter school's curriculum has a built-in focus on environmental issues and leadership, making its third-grade students a particularly receptive audience. The event's hands-on, experiential approach aligns perfectly with modern pedagogical research, which shows that activities like cooking and interactive games are highly effective in teaching children about nutrition and sustainability.

By engaging children at a young age with positive, empowering, and fun experiences, the program aims to cultivate lifelong habits and a deeper understanding of their role as global citizens. The day was about more than just baking; it was about planting seeds of awareness. For the students, it was a day to meet a local hero. For the planet, it was an investment in a new generation of changemakers, who now have a better understanding that the power to shape a healthier future can begin with the choices they make in their own kitchens.