Coke Florida Donates 5,000 Backpacks to Florida Students

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida), the local Coca-Cola bottler serving 47 Florida counties, kicks off its annual Back-to-School Backpack Giveback campaign. This year’s campaign continues a tradition of donating backpacks filled with essential school supplies for the new academic school year. Coke Florida will distribute 5,000 backpacks to students across the state during a series of community events, representing the most backpacks distributed in a single year and increasing the collected value of back-to-school contributions to more than $100,000.

"Education is essential to addressing inequities amongst our students in urban and rural communities," said Percy L. Wells, II, Coke Florida's Group Vice President, Governmental Relations, Public Affairs and Communications. "During these challenging times, we are committed to supporting the communities where we live, work, and play. As a community partner, it is extremely important for Coke Florida to assist in providing local students with the tools and resources they need to succeed in school settings."

In its 2022 Back-to-School Survey, Deloitte reports that families will spend 8% more or $661 on new apparel and school supplies per student this year compared to 2021. The increased investment that Coke Florida is making in students through its back-to-school program reflects the rising costs and growing economic challenges families are experiencing.

Each of Coke Florida’s 18 territories will partner with local education foundations, schools, non-profit organizations, and community groups to distribute backpacks throughout the month of August.

About Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC
Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) is a family-owned Coca-Cola bottler. Coke Florida has an exclusive sales and distribution territory that covers over 21 million consumers across 47 Florida counties, and includes the major metropolitan markets of Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. Coke Florida markets, sells, manufactures, distributes, and merchandises over 600 products of The Coca-Cola Company and other partner companies. The company is the third largest privately held and the sixth largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. Coke Florida was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The company is a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certified company, one of the largest minority-owned businesses in Florida, and the fourth largest Black-owned businesses in the United States. In 2022, Coke Florida was named a US Best Managed Company by Deloitte-Private and The Wall Street Journal joining an elite group of private companies holding this designation. To learn more, visit www.cocacolaflorida.com.