Volunteers pack 25K care packages for veterans with Coca-Cola

We're going to talk about Veterans Day now on this Wednesday afternoon. I want to take you now to what Coca-Cola is doing to mark Veterans Day in a big way. They're bringing together more than 300 volunteers at its Atlanta headquarters to pack, get this, 25,000 care packages for military families in partnership with the USO. And our Eli Jordan has been joining us live all day now at this event. And Eli, obviously, this is a very cool thing that they're doing. They're trying to break a record, right? Oh, yeah, yeah. It's a very cool thing. And yes, they are trying to break record and they have broken the record here at Coca-Cola, packing more than 25,000 care packages for our active duty service members. Now, they've been doing this for over 27 years, packing care packages for our service members worldwide. This is just a view of what they're doing. They're making dot kits, toiletries. We got some Q-tips here. Here we go. Toothpaste there, deodorant, and other things like that. But it's real special when, you know, our service members are over there, far away from home, getting these care packages. These tables were just packed with people, volunteers. They had over 500 volunteers out here, packing, packing, all day, all morning long. Started real early, got ahead of here, and they're just now wrapping up. They're about to continue to another event that's happening here at Coca-Cola because they really do honor their veterans. But joining me now is National Army Guardsman. I've been... Chris Gonzales, Staff Sergeant from Utah. Flew in here from, and you work at Swire Coca-Cola, a bottling company over in Utah, correct? I do. And so tell me. You received a care package while you were deployed over in Iraq, correct? I did. So what was that like to get, what is it like for a soldier when you're away from home to get a care package? It's impactful. I don't know how else to express it other than the commodities, the things that we enjoy at home sometimes are scarce and not readily available all the time. And so the USO and their ability to provide these care packages gives you a little bit of taste of home when you get something like that. Now, when you found out you were heading over here, To the Coca-Cola headquarters from Utah to help pack care packages. I mean, that had to have been a special moment for you. Absolutely. It was an honor. I think the consideration to be able to share a little bit of how this went for me as a service member receiving these types of care packages while overseas and then be able to give back for those that are currently deployed, it's incredible. What's it like, you know, getting a package from, you know, anonymous donor or whomever and seeing, you know, American products in there and having these things that we take for granted. Yeah, it's definitely a reminder that there's support. I think the biggest thing to me is when you receive these things, that means that willing hands took the time to pack it away and get it ready for us and reminds you of their support. So this process, was it at all what you thought? I mean, you know, they had hundreds of volunteers in here packing up, had a nice, you know, chain of people, you know, doing one item at a time. Was it at all what you thought? It's what I would have expected in the sense that everyone's committed. What I didn't expect is how fast things went. The team here absolutely put their heart and soul into it. And we got done much faster than expected. And you guys have broke a record. I mean, you've been part of the record-breaking attempt here, packing 25,000 packages. So I've got to ask you, though, flew in from Utah. Is this your first time in Atlanta? It is my first time in Atlanta, yes. And so first time, I guess, you get to go back and tell your co-workers, hey, I was at the Coca-Cola headquarters. What do you think of it? No, it's incredible. I don't know how else to say that, one, the city's beautiful. Two, Coca-Cola as a collective group and all of what they've done here. If you're able to walk the halls and see everything else, it's clearly an indicator that we support the military, both those that are here and those that are deployed. Awesome. Well, I hope you have a continuing good time here, and welcome back, and happy Good Veterans Day to you, and thanks for what you do. We appreciate your time and service, and also thanks for helping out here for our and your fellow service members out in the world with these care packages, Coca-Cola teaming up with USO, an 85-year partnership, and they've been packing these care packages for our active duty. Service members across the world, and they have broken a world record of 25,000 packages, and they surpassed, since they've been doing this, Tyler, they've surpassed 5 million packages since they have started this endeavor way back over 20 years ago. I'll kick it back to you. Oh, that is incredibly cool that they have done so much for the people who do so much for our country. Eli Jordan, I appreciate you showing us this, and we'll be checking in with you during the 3 o'clock hour for even more. Eli, thank you.