Written by Ken Garfield
On November 12, Baby Bundles celebrated one of the most extraordinary days in its 15-year history. More than 150 Coca-Cola Consolidated teammates gathered at the company’s Charlotte headquarters to pack 500 Baby Bundles, each filled with 40 essential items that support families welcoming a newborn into the world. For the nearly 50% of Mecklenburg County’s 15,000 newborns who begin life facing significant financial hardship, these bundles are more than gifts. They are lifelines – small acts of compassion that remind families they are seen, supported, and not alone.
A Record-Breaking Day of Impact
This event marked the largest packing effort since Baby Bundles’ founding in 2010. It contributes mightily to the 4,000 bundles that will go to new parents in 2025. The energy was electric. Teammates filled laundry baskets with onesies, bibs, blankets, books, and more before transferring each item into Baby Bundles’ signature canvas bag. Partner agencies arrived throughout the day to collect their allocations, ensuring the bundles would be in the hands of families just days later.
“Today was Baby Bundles in action – our mission come to life,” said Program and Volunteer Coordinator, Amy Fonville. “Donations from partners were lovingly packed by volunteers, delivered by donors and received by our community partners. In a few days, those precious baby essentials went from shipping boxes to the hands of families that will benefit from this loving support.”
Living Out a Mission of Service
Honoring God and serving others is a core value of Coca-Cola Consolidated, which employs 17,000 nationwide. While Coca-Cola Consolidated teammates were packing bundles, others were helping Second Harvest Food Bank and Nourish Up, two Charlotte food pantries that help feed the needy. Talk about living up to that value: Two Coca-Cola Consolidated drivers loaded 22,000 baby items onto a 53-foot trailer and drove it to headquarters so the packing could commence.
No wonder Temeka Maxwell, a Coca-Cola Consolidated teammate for 14 years, looked up from packing a bundle to capture the day in a few words. A mother of three adult children and five-year-old grandson Palmer III, she knows a thing or two about onesies. And wrapping babies in the warmth of our embrace. “This,” Temeka said, “is a blessing. I’m glad to be a part of it.”
A Growing Need…and a Growing Mission
Since its inception, Baby Bundles has delivered more than 20,000 bags of newborn essentials to families across Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The organization is on track to surpass a 13% increase in bundles delivered this year compared to 2024, and with community support, aims to provide 6,600+ bundles annually, meeting the rapidly rising needs of local families living in need.
The bundles are great. As Alexandria Reece, a Coca-Cola Consolidated teammate for eight years shared amid the happy hubbub, the message is even greater: “There’s hope out there.”
