IRVING, Texas, April 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --  Papa John's and TXU Energy are once again partnering to help beautify Houston communities with the fourth annual #trees4pizza Earth Day promotion. This year will not only mark 60,000 trees delivered in the Houston area, it will also include a special donation of 450 large trees in some of the neighborhoods hit hardest by Hurricane Harvey.

"Trees are a big part of the charm of the Houston area, and so many of them were damaged or destroyed due to the hurricane," said Keith Sullins, president of Houston Pizza Venture, the region's largest Papa John's franchisee. "We know that most of the hurricane recovery efforts are rightly still focused on rebuilding homes and businesses, so we thought this was the perfect opportunity for us to help make these neighborhoods green again for our customers."

The two companies coordinated an online registration and distribution process for customers living in some of the most dramatically affected areas. On Saturday, April 21, with the help of Texas Trees Foundation and Trees for Houston, volunteers will distribute 450 five-gallon mature trees perfectly suited for growing in South Texas. Tree species being distributed include loblolly pine, little gem magnolia, crepe myrtle, and live oak.

In addition, Papa John's and TXU Energy will continue their popular #trees4pizza Earth Day promotion on Sunday, April 22. For the fourth year in a row, they'll deliver tree seedlings with every pizza order in the Houston area in honor of Earth Day, resulting in 60,000 tree seedlings being delivered over the four-year partnership.

"Earth Day has a little more meaning for us here in Houston this year as we're still recovering from the hurricane," said Jason Schultz, TXU Energy's director of business sales for Houston and South Texas. "We're excited to see our #trees4pizza partnership contribute to rebuilding, replanting, and reclaiming the beauty of our beloved communities."

Customers who receive a tree seedling this year – and those who received trees in previous years – are encouraged to use the #trees4pizza hashtag on social media to share pictures of their trees. The loblolly pine seedlings, which thrive in the Texas Bayou Region, come with planting and care instructions, and can be potted for up to two years before being planted.

About Houston Pizza Venture
Houston Pizza Venture Restaurant Group is a locally owned and operated, multi-concept restaurant franchise group. It is the area's largest Papa John's franchisee and also owns and operates Genghis Grill, Firehouse Subs and Surefire Tacos locations.

About TXU Energy
More Texans trust TXU Energy to power their homes and businesses than any other electricity provider. We're passionate about creating experiences and solutions tailored to fit the needs of our customers, including electricity plans, online tools to help save, renewable energy options and more. Consecutively ranked as one of the Top Places to Work by The Dallas Morning News, TXU Energy is also committed to creating a dynamic and fun workplace where all our people can succeed. Visit txu.com for more. TXU Energy is a subsidiary of Vistra Energy (NYSE: VST).  REP #10004

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Meranda Cohn
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SOURCE TXU Energy