Joy to the Carolinas headed to Western North Carolina to bring holiday cheer to the Hurricane Helene impacted region.
Coca-Cola Consolidated, along with The David & Nicole Tepper Foundation and Carolina Panthers, spent two days in Western North Carolina this week, kicking off the 6th Annual Joy to the Carolinas program. This year, the holiday giving event was expanded to support communities directly impacted by Hurricane Helene.
“I think we made it really clear with the concert that we weren’t going to leave western North Carolina out of our minds,” Nicole Tepper said Wednesday. “Things calm down after a storm, but you want to stick around. When we do Joy to the Carolinas, it’s so huge in Charlotte. It’s such a special thing for the organization and for me. We just thought, how great would it be to bring it out here and give the children and frontline workers of western North Carolina some joy around this time of year and to let people know we’re not forgetting about them after news stops.”
The events began Wednesday morning at W.D. Williams Elementary School in Swannanoa, when the Panthers, including Legends Jonathan Stewart and Kenny Moore, Jr., The David & Nicole Tepper Foundation, and Coca-Cola Consolidated surprised over 400 students with a holiday-themed assembly that featured a number of additional special guests including TopCats, Sir Purr, and polar bear. The fun didn’t stop there, as Tepper, Panthers leadership and guests, and Coca-Cola Consolidated representatives visited each classroom to distribute hand-packed Santa sacks filled with holiday gifts for every student, faculty and staff member.
The Coca-Cola Consolidated Response Team has been providing boots on the ground to assist with clean up and volunteer support since Hurricane Helene; support that was going on even during Joy to the Carolinas this week with food pantries to serve volunteers and helping clean up debris. Response Team members also spent time clearing debris at both W.D. Williams Elementary School and North Cove Elementary School this week.
Being able to take a day to bring a smile to the children of the area though was rewarding in a whole new way.
At an intimate reception Wednesday evening at The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, The David & Nicole Tepper Foundation, Panthers, and Coca-Cola Consolidated hosted nearly 300 special guests comprised of DNTF and Panthers Charities community partners including MANNA Foodbank, World Central Kitchen, Global Empowerment Mission, the American Red Cross, Samaritan’s Purse, and Team Rubicon, and Coca-Cola Consolidated community partners including Haywood Christian Ministry and Biltmore Church, in addition to first responders and additional nonprofit organizations, all of whom have worked tirelessly to address the immediate and long-term needs of the region following Hurricane Helene.
Before dinner, guests heard from David and Nicole Tepper and Coca-Cola Consolidated’s Heather Hucks. They also enjoyed a special appearance from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Panthers Legends Stewart and Moore were also in attendance.
Heather Hucks, Vice President, Consumer Connections for Coca-Cola Consolidated, added, “Serving here has not only been an honor, it’s been our duty. We have teammates who lost their homes. Customers that are just now reopening their doors. Friends and family grappling with the shock of it all.”
“We knew we had to do it for this community,” said David Tepper at the reception. “We’re here today, we’re here with you today – and just for the people in the room, everybody here, the people who live here, the first responders, we’ll be here with you tomorrow. There’s the first day, the next day, the next day, and the next day.”
At the end of the night, guests received gift cards, commemorative Coca-Cola glass bottles, and pieces of local art from the region.
Thursday saw Joy to the Carolinas, this time with Panthers Legend Dwight Stone, move to North Cove Elementary School in Marion, North Carolina, where approximately 230 students and 40 faculty and staff enjoyed a special assembly program and received gifts.
Students at both schools received a mix of winter coats, shoes, and a variety of toys. Teachers, administrative and support staff at the schools received gifts cards and lunch.
Beyond this week’s events, those a part of Joy to the Carolinas program will provide campus improvements for the schools, including additional debris removal, playground upgrades and more.
Following Hurricane Helene, the Teppers partnered with country music superstars and North Carolina natives Luke Combs and Eric Church to host Concert For Carolina in October, a special benefit concert that raised over $24.5 million to support Hurricane Helene relief in the region. This followed an initial $3 million commitment by The David & Nicole Tepper Foundation with the Panthers and Charlotte FC in the days following the hurricane making landfall in the Carolinas. To date, the Tepper foundations have donated over $6 million toward relief efforts in the region.
In addition, true to Coca-Cola Consolidated’s Purpose statement to ‘Serve Others and Honor God in All We Do’, the company delivered thousands of cases of water and numerous essential supplies to Western North Carolina and set up food pantries and provided hot meals.
When it came time to plan Joy to the Carolinas and discussions began around bringing the special community event to Western North Carolina, it felt imperative to the Teppers, Panthers, and Coca-Cola Consolidated to visit the schools in-person.
“Just giving them the experience, that’s what Joy to the Carolinas really is all about. That’s why it was created,” Nicole Tepper continued. “Obviously the gifts and the resources and all that stuff is amazing, but bringing the live joy and the experience is what it’s all about.”
Several businesses around the Asheville area were utilized for the events. Asheville Bash provided the festive decor outside of school entrances and served as elves distributing holiday headbands as students entered the school. ZimZoom provided the photobooth in the cafeteria for students and staff to capture memories together. Fresh As Can Bee Catering provided lunch for teachers and staff at W.D. Williams Elementary School. And finally, Luisa’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria provided lunch for teachers at North Cove Elementary School.
For those in the schools, having a memory from 2024 that wasn’t storm related made the holidays a little bit sweeter.
“We wanted to find some way that we could celebrate this year so that we didn’t leave the school year saying this was just a hurricane year,” explained W.D. Elementary Principal Christy Jones. “So, when the Panthers, Coca-Cola Consolidated, and The David & Nicole Tepper Foundation called and said they wanted to be a part of this and bring this to us, we were so thankful. It was amazing, we were shocked.”
The Joy to the Carolinas program will continue with its annual tradition in Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium later this month.
