Coca‑Cola Employees Plant Seeds for a Sustainable Future at First Impact Day in Atlanta

Making Positive Change Possible in Our Communities

Coca‑Cola employees joined forces with Hands On Atlanta and Truly Living Well to plant the seeds for a brighter, more sustainable future with its first Impact Day. As a pre-Earth Day celebration, 150 employees gathered on April 17 at one of Truly Living Well’s urban agricultural sites to make an impact on the local Atlanta community.

By actively encouraging employee involvement, Coca‑Cola aims to inspire positive change in communities and foster a philanthropy-driven culture.
 

The full scope of day’s activities included:

- 465 cubic feet of organic soil used for new garden containers and vegetable beds

- 2,700 pounds of crushed stoned spread to finish the ADA garden and pathway

- 20 shrubs, 98 plants and 25 herb seedlings planted across various areas of the farm

- 70 feet of new walking path created for garden bed and hillside access

- 10 pollinator gardens created to attract pollinating insects

- 9 new bird houses installed in the kids' area

- 200 pounds of cardboard reused for sheet mulching

- 15 apple and peach trees mulched to retain moisture during the summer

Truly Living Well works to bring agriculture to cities, creating a natural, sustainable food supply in metropolitan areas. The organization also offers classes and educational opportunities for residents to inspire others to apply urban farming practices on a smaller scale.

The day began with remarks from Hands On Atlanta President and CEO Jay Cranman, Truly Living Well Executive Director Carol Hunter and Coca‑Cola North America President Jim Dinkins. The volunteers then split into teams and got to work.

Coca‑Cola is committed to the communities where it operates and has more Impact Days planned in 2019, focused on different community needs. By actively encouraging employee involvement, Coca‑Cola aims to inspire positive change in communities and foster a philanthropy-driven culture.

Here what Coca‑Cola employees said about their volunteer experience:

“I felt like we accomplished so much in a short period of time! It made me happy to see how much the folks at Living Well appreciated our help.”

“It was rewarding... we should definitely do this more often!”

“It was great getting out of the office and giving back to the community. It was also nice to meet and work with other Coca‑Cola associates that we may never have met otherwise.”

“It's amazing when you bring together that amount of people all working towards a common goal, what we can accomplish. It was refreshing to take time out of our busy schedules to connect with our co-workers and do good at the same time! It was an awesome day!”

“It was a wonderful experience and something I would definitely do again! I would encourage other associates to make the time to volunteer during another Coca‑Cola Impact Day!”