Coca-Cola Spreads Holiday Cheer in Local Towns Through Quarter Million Dollar-Plus Donations
Coca-Cola Celebrates the Giving Season with Toys for Tots, “Arctic Home” Campaign
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oh, what fun it is to give! Coca-Cola is making spirits bright this holiday season with more than a quarter million dollars in donations of Arctic-themed toys and other gifts to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. In addition to helping those in need at the holidays, the donation helps raise awareness for the Coca-Cola “Arctic Home” program, which supports polar bears and their Arctic habitat.
Coca-Cola is celebrating its fifth year of partnership with Toys for Tots by donating more than a quarter million dollars of Arctic-themed gifts to local Toys for Tots chapters in seven U.S. cities, including: Los Angeles, Dallas, Seattle, Charlotte, Chicago, New York and Cincinnati. The toys and gifts for kids of all ages include plush polar bears and polar bear hats, plus white MP3 players, skateboards, watches and Velcro wallets. By sharing Arctic-themed gifts, Coca-Cola is helping bring holiday joy to those who need it most, while reminding people to take part in the “Arctic Home” program.
“This season, we’re giving back to our local communities with Toys for Tots, while also raising awareness about our ‘Arctic Home’ initiative to support polar bears,” said Stuart Kronauge, Senior Vice President, Coca-Cola Trademark Marketing, Coca-Cola North America. “We hope everyone will express their inner Santa Claus this season by taking part in our ‘Arctic Home’ initiative to help polar bears and by supporting Toys for Tots in their local communities.”
“Arctic Home” is an initiative between Coca-Cola and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness and generate funds to help protect the polar bear’s Arctic habitat. To support polar bears, people can look for limited-edition “Arctic Home” cans and caps on Coke products and donate $1 by texting the package code to 357357. All donations go to WWF’s efforts to protect the polar bear’s Arctic home. Donations can also be made online at ArcticHome.com. From the website, people can help spread the word to their friends and families by sharing content on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #ArcticHome. Coca-Cola will match all donations made with a package code by March 15, 2012, up to $1 million.
“We are grateful for the very generous donation from Coca-Cola to local communities across the nation, and we appreciate the continued partnership,” said Marine Major Bill Grein, Vice President of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. “These gifts will help children and teens in need enjoy the magic of the Christmas holiday season.”
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is dependent on charitable giving during this time of year. Donations are always in high demand around the holidays, and the need for toys has skyrocketed in the past year.
Coca-Cola has a long tradition of giving back at the holidays and sharing season’s greetings and cheer. With holiday packaging and advertising, the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan tour – featuring festive Coca-Cola trucks decorated with 25,000 red and white lights – and the beloved Coca-Cola Santa, Coca-Cola is part of the celebrations that families and friends enjoy during the holidays.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company’s portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.7 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit www.thecoca-colacompany.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo.
About “Arctic Home”
Inspired by the threat facing the polar bear and its habitat, Coca-Cola and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are joining forces to help protect the polar bear’s home. Together we are raising awareness and funds for the creation of an Arctic refuge for the polar bear. As part of the “Arctic Home” effort, Coca-Cola is committing $2 million. From the www.ArcticHome.com site, people can help us spread the word to their friends and families by sharing content on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #ArcticHome.
About Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots, a 65 year national charitable program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, provides happiness and hope to economically disadvantaged children during each Christmas holiday season. The toys, books and other gifts collected and distributed by the Marines offer these children recognition, confidence and a positive memory for a lifetime. It is such experiences that help children become responsible citizens and caring members of their community. Last year the Marine Corps fulfilled the holiday hopes and dreams of 7.2 million less fortunate children in over 700 communities nationwide. For more information, visit www.toysfortots.org.
The Coca-Cola Company
Susan Stribling, 404-676-4120
sstribling@coca-cola.com
or
Direct
Impact
Shawna Sullivan, 646-431-0078
shawna.sullivan@directimpact.com
Source: The Coca-Cola Company
Released December 21, 2011