Transformational $25 Million Gift From Coca-Cola Consolidated To Establish Behavioral Health Center At NC Children's

North Carolina Children's, the first health system in the Carolinas focused exclusively on children, is proud to announce a $25 million gift from North Carolina-based Coca-Cola Consolidated, the nation's largest Coca-Cola bottler.

This generous gift, to be given from Coca-Cola Consolidated's charitable giving funds, will allow NC Children's to advance its vision of transforming mental health care for children and families across the state. The investment will support the creation of a welcoming, family-centered facility as well as programs designed to provide comprehensive care addressing medical needs and the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of children and their families.

NC Children's was established in 2025 as a partnership between UNC Health and Duke Health to create North Carolina's first comprehensive freestanding children's hospital.

"We are deeply grateful to the entire Coca-Cola Consolidated family for this wonderful gift," said Dr. Wesley Burks, Chair of the NC Children's Board of Directors. "Their partnership will change children's lives by allowing NC Children's to build and expand behavioral health programs across the full continuum of care – from prevention and outpatient services to intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, and inpatient treatment – establishing a world-class model for children's and adolescents' behavioral health."

Coca-Cola Consolidated is headquartered in Charlotte and for more than 124 years has been deeply committed to the consumers, customers and communities it serves.

"At Coca-Cola Consolidated, serving others is at the heart of our purpose," said Morgan Everett, Vice Chair of Coca-Cola Consolidated's Board of Directors. "We are honored to collaborate with NC Children's to establish a state-of-the-art hospital dedicated to delivering comprehensive care to children in need—both within our community and beyond."

The $25 million gift from Coca-Cola Consolidated is the first significant gift toward the long-term goal of raising more than $1 billion for the new NC Children's campus in Apex, NC, which will include an approximately 570-bed children's hospital with more than 100 behavioral health beds and an outpatient center of excellence.

Coca-Cola Consolidated employs more than 17,000 teammates across its 14-state territory, over 4,000 of which are in North Carolina working at 13 facilities across the state. Recently, Newsweek named the company as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Parents and Families.

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About NC Children's: With the goal of creating a brighter future for our children, UNC Health and Duke Health partnered in 2025 to create NC Children's, the first health system in the Carolinas entirely focused on kids.

NC Children's campus in Apex, NC, will include an approximately 570-bed children's hospital with more than 100 behavioral health beds, and an outpatient center of excellence.

When NC Children's opens in the early 2030s, the pediatric programs from both UNC Children's and Duke Children's will move to the new campus. Faculty from the Duke University School of Medicine and UNC School of Medicine will care for children, teach students, residents and fellows to provide expert care for our children, and advance research that will improve the health and wellness of our children for generations to come.

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About Coca-Cola Consolidated

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Coca-Cola Consolidated (NASDAQ: COKE) is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. We make, sell and distribute beverages of The Coca-Cola Company, and other partner companies, in more than 300 brands and flavors across 14 states and the District of Columbia, to approximately 60 million consumers.

For over 124 years, we have been deeply committed to the consumers, customers and communities we serve and passionate about the broad portfolio of beverages and services we offer. Our Purpose is to honor God in all we do, to serve others, to pursue excellence and to grow profitably.

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