COCA-COLA DONATED ALMOST HRK 1.2 MILLION TO SUPPORT THE EARTHQUAKE-STRICKEN AREAS

With the help of The Coca-Cola Foundation, Coca-Cola in Croatia has donated more than HRK 3.5 million to the Red Cross in the course of 2020 and 2021

Today in Glina, the representatives of Coca-Cola in Croatia presented the Croatian Red Cross with a donation of products and a financial donation in the amount of HRK 1 million to support the community after the devastating earthquake that struck Glina, Petrinja, Sisak, and the surrounding villages. The donated funds were raised with the help of Coca-Cola’s philanthropic arm, The Coca-Cola Foundation.

“Due to considerable needs of the people in the earthquake-stricken areas, the relief efforts will, as we have been emphasizing from the start, continue for some time. It is therefore extremely important that there are companies, such as Coca-Cola, which understand that people from the Sisak-Moslavina County need long-term support. I would like to thank Coca-Cola for being there to support the Croatian Red Cross and, by extension, the affected citizens, in every crisis. We who see the people in need every day know just how important such support truly is,” said Robert Markt, Executive President of the Croatian Red Cross.

Coca-Cola’s donation will be used to help the citizens through the purchase of 8 field tents for distribution of food and non-food products, a 240 square meter storage tent with hard flooring for storing collected donations, 9 pallet jacks to support storage operations and facilitate aid distribution, 85 field cots, and 10 lap-tops for on-site work to be used by four Croatian Red Cross branches.

“All of us within The Coca-Cola System, and the citizens across Croatia and wider, feel sympathy for the people from the earthquake-stricken areas. There is a long way ahead of the citizens of the Sisak-Moslavina region before returning to the life as it was before the earthquake in December. As a member of the community, we want to help accelerate this process and make everyday life easier for those who have lost their homes,” said Ruža Tomić Fontana, General Manager of Coca-Cola HBC for Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia.

Among other problems, the earthquake resulted in the difficulty to supply drinking water as well, since the wells, which are the main sources of potable water in rural areas, were particularly damaged. To address this problem, a portion of the donation will be used to purchase the equipment required for well rehabilitation which will be carried out by a specially trained Croatian Red Cross team. The donation will be used to cover the cost of clearing approx. 400 wells in the earthquake-stricken areas.

According to the latest data, more than 37 thousand reports of damaged residential units have been received so far. Most public institutions and commercial facilities are out of function, a number of buildings and monuments of cultural significance have been destroyed, and some of the citizens have found their temporary homes in the container settlement set up in Glina.

“The citizens of Glina are facing numerous challenges directly caused by the earthquake. Besides them, the people living in the surrounding villages have considerable needs as well. This is why the Red Cross teams visit such areas almost daily. These villages are home to a number of elderly people, many of whom live alone. We are therefore focusing our efforts on them in particular,” said Alberta Cestarić, Director of the Glina Red Cross City Society.

In addition to the donation made to the Croatian Red Cross, this year Coca-Cola donated HRK 160,000 to the Town of Petrinja as well.

In 2020, with the help of The Coca-Cola Foundation, a foundation dedicated to Coca-Cola’s philanthropic activities in communities around the world, Coca-Cola in Croatia donated more than HRK 2.5 million to the Croatian Red Cross, of which HRK 1.7 million was allocated for activities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and HRK 850,000 for the earthquake relief intended for those affected by the earthquake in Zagreb and the greater Zagreb area.

“It is the mission of Coca-Cola to bring positive changes to the lives of people and communities, and delivering on this mission is never more important than in the hardest of times. We must therefore continue our joint and solidary efforts to support the citizens of Glina, Petrinja and other villages that have suffered enormous damage in the earthquake. In addition to the need to rebuild their homes, the citizens of the affected areas are facing yet another great challenge, which is to keep the region alive by encouraging people to stay, as they are the driving force necessary to revitalise the region and build a better future. By making donations to organisations focusing on the wellbeing of the society, we want to contribute, during the period until complete recovery of the community, to the continued availability of the necessary support,” concluded Mark Docherty, General Manager of Coca-Cola Adria.