Coca‑Cola Hungary provided 165 million forints worth support and donation during the pandemic

In the past months, Hungary's leading beverage producer has donated products to 21 hospitals and healthcare institutions, and to three national relief organizations: the Hungarian Red Cross, the Hungarian Food Bank Association, and the Hungarian Interchurch Aid. Coca‑Cola Hungary delivered a total of 65,000 bottles of soft drinks, water, and juice to people in need and to healthcare workers.

At the beginning of April, Coca‑Cola Hungary launched the “Ad to Aid” initiative, offering its advertising spaces and social media channels to the Hungarian Red Cross in order to reach as many people as possible with important public service announcements about staying at home, social distancing, health protection, blood donation, and charity. Coca‑Cola also offered to produce advertising tools with the help of professional employees and staff of contracted agencies, that valued over 80 million forints.

At the end of April the Hungarian Red Cross was granted a 200,000 USD (approximately 65 million HUF) financial support from The Coca‑Cola Foundation, for the support of indigent people in a difficult financial situation, e.g. the residents of ten Temporary Family Shelters and 75 homeless shelters operated by the Hungarian Red Cross, elderly or unemployed people, as well as people under quarantine. The support was mainly food, hygiene and cleaning kits distribution, and psychosocial care, too.

Besides serving the market, the company’s main goal was saving all jobs throughout this challenging period. The closing of HoReCa outlets created an opportunity to delegate five Business Developers to volunteer at the Hungarian Red Cross. Coca‑Cola provided them with every resource needed for the task. They finally gave a support of over 700 working hours and travelled nearly 22,000 kilometers across the country delivering donations to people in difficult situations. They organized blood donations, while also donating their blood. They delivered almost 27 tons of cooked and non-perishable food, eggs, cooking oil, canned food, sweets, vitamins, toiletries and disinfectants, mineral water and diaper packages to people in need. Some of them brought ingredients to hospitals, mother’s shelters, homeless shelters, and temporary homes, so that everybody could get a plate of a warm meal. The five volunteers supported the work of the Hungarian Red Cross in and around Budapest, Kaposvár, Mályi, Szeged, and Veszprém.

The collaboration between Coca‑Cola Hungary and the Hungarian Red Cross is not brand new, the company has been the strategic partner for over 10 years, and their support will continue in the future, too mainly in the form of product donations. During the rebuilding period started in June, the company is turning to economic players to help the industry most affected by the coronavirus, the HoReCa sector over the summer. To reconnect consumers with their favorite restaurants after the forced break, the company’s nationwide initiative will ensure that participating restaurants can welcome back guests with free Coca‑Cola drinks on June 19th, 2020. The company will continue to help HoReCa outlets in the coming weeks, so selected partners will receive multifarious support.