Coca Cola support Covid-19 relief efforts to top US $ 100 million globally

The Coca-Cola system, including The Coca-Cola Foundation, is pledging more than US $100 million to support Covid-19 relief efforts in communities around the world.

This total giving amount – which encompasses publicly announced foundation grants and donations, as well as projects under development around the world in more than 100 countries – includes product donations; in-kind contributions of services and equipment allocated media and advertising space to public health authorities and NGO partners to broadcast time-sensitive safety messaging; and cash donations to support community relief efforts.

“Our focus is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our people and our communities in these challenging times,” said James Quincey, chairman, and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company. “The resources of our company, our bottling partners and The Coca-Cola Foundation are making a difference through needed assistance to organizations that are positioned to mobilize quickly and provide humanitarian relief. We are grateful to the brave men and women around the world who are providing essential services, keeping communities safe and ensuring access to food, medicine and other vital goods.”

Contributions are focused on community relief programs, medical supplies and equipment during the outbreak phase, as well as developing other actions for the recovery phase in markets hit hardest by the pandemic. Read about specific actions Coca-Cola teams around the world are taking to support local communities.

Coca-Cola bottlers around the world are finding creative ways to use their manufacturing facilities, supply chain and delivery networks to produce and transport needed medical supplies.

Concentrate and bottling plants in countries like Brazil, Turkey, Swaziland and Japan are producing hand sanitizer for local hospitals, clinics and nursing homes, and Coca-Cola North America is donating plastic sheeting and lending logistics and transportation support to help New Hampshire-based nonprofit MakeIt Labs produce protective face shields for front-line healthcare workers.

The company is redirecting some of its global advertising budgets to support COVID-19 prevention and relief in markets around the world. The Philippines was the first of many markets to pause advertising for all brands and redirect media spending to help provide personal protective equipment and beverages for health workers, deliver food to vulnerable families, and support small retailers in affected communities.

Many business units are using high-profile marketing assets – from billboards and truck backs to beverage packaging and social media channels – to share both uplifting messages of solidarity and Covid-19 prevention tips.

The Coca-Cola Foundation – the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company – has awarded more than US $39 million in grants in 74 countries (as of April 22, 2020). Recipient organizations include country affiliates of the Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies, regional food banks, Boys & Girls Clubs, and response and recovery funds providing meals, beverages, medical and sanitation services, protective equipment and educational programming for healthcare providers.

The Coca-Cola Company and The Coca-Cola Foundation continue to assess opportunities for grants, donations and other support around the world as the crisis evolves. Needs are being evaluated locally as markets make their way through the outbreak, recovery and back-to-normal phases of the pandemic.