Charlotte Motor Speedway, in partnership with Coca-Cola Consolidated, Speedway Motorsports representatives, state and local officials and NASCAR personnel, packed more than 50,000 meals for Second Harvest Food Bank and its network of local pantries during a special event at the speedway on Wednesday.
The event brought together 150 volunteers from across the NASCAR industry, including NASCAR Cup Series and Coca-Cola Racing Family members Austin Dillon and Kyle Petty, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and other local and state elected officials, Coca-Cola Consolidated leaders and teammates, as well as partners and community organizations. Together, the group assembled meals to support families across the region and make a meaningful impact on the community.
Each box included four servings of vegetables, fruits, proteins and grains. The meals will be distributed to elementary school pantries at R. Brown McAllister, Winecoff, Wolf Meadow and Weddington Hills in Cabarrus County, as well as the Rowan County Second Harvest facility, which serves Rowan, Cabarrus and Stanly counties.
Charlotte Motor Speedway was the first stop in a series of meal-packing events across North Carolina, with a goal of packaging more than 250,000 meals statewide by the Fourth of July as part of the yearlong America250 campaign and Coca-Cola Consolidated’s ongoing community impact initiative.
Here’s what local leaders and partners shared about the day’s impact:
Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, North Carolina Lieutenant Governor
“Across our communities, families are still struggling to access basic needs like food, and this is a moment for us to come together. North Carolinians want to help and feel connected to their communities, and those in need deserve to feel supported and cared for. Each of us can play a role, whether it’s volunteering, donating, or simply checking in on a neighbor. That’s what makes our communities strong.”
Vi Lyles, Charlotte Mayor
“What I see here today is the generosity of community – everyone working together to provide something so important to those who need it. The effort to pack 50,000, yes 50,000 meals, for Second Harvest Food Bank and its network of local pantries is amazing and possible only through the strength and determination of everyone gathered here – with the collective mindset that we are going to serve our people, the ones that need it most. Everybody volunteering is working hard and that always makes the difference. It shows that people care deeply about each other and this community. I am proud of everyone who took time from a busy schedule to be here and contribute.”
Mike Burch, Speedway Motorsports Chief Operating Officer
“One of our core principles is to impact the community. We have the opportunity to host an event like this at our facility here at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and maybe even more importantly, having dozens of our teammates here helping our good friends at Coca-Cola pack these meals for Second Harvest Food Bank. It really brings to life everything that we’re about at Speedway Motorsports. Coca-Cola has been one of our partners ever since Bruton Smith built Charlotte Motor Speedway. To come alongside them and help support them is something that we’re always going to do, especially around our partnership at the Coca-Cola 600, and with the America 250 celebration, it just feeds into everything that we’re trying to do together.”
Christine Motherwell, Coca-Cola Consolidated Chief Customer Officer
“At Coca-Cola Consolidated, our Purpose is to honor God in all we do, and to serve others and today, you see that coming to life. We have an opportunity a North Carolina business to give back to the communities here. By the Fourth of July, we want to pack and serve 250,000 meals, and this is a part of that overall goal, ultimately to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. It’s very important for us to give back to the communities where we do business and where our customers and consumers live. It is important for us to invest in the territories that we operate in.”
Kay Carter, Second Harvest Food Bank CEO
“We have a huge need in our area, in the 24 counties of North and South Carolina that we serve. We have over 500,000 people who live at or below the poverty level and over 200,000 of those are children and seniors. We believe really strongly at Second Harvest that no child should be hungry, no senior should be hungry, no veteran that has served our country should be hungry – our families shouldn’t have to struggle. To be here today to knock out 50,000 meals is very exciting for me. When we get an opportunity to come to the speedway and be with our friends from Coke and be with our NASCAR friends and our speedway friends, that just makes it all the more exciting.”
Austin Dillon, Coca-Cola Racing Family & NASCAR Cup Series Driver
“These meals are going to go to someone who’s starving, who needs it, and it’s cool to see our community, the NASCAR community, coming out and putting that time and effort into packing as many meals as possible to give back to Second Harvest Food Bank. It’s cool to see the wave of patriotism with America 250. I’ve always felt like the Coca-Cola 600, there’s no better representation of our country, the military men and women that are going to be out here, the veterans supporting those who have fallen. The Coke 600 is an awesome weekend. I love it. It’s one of my favorite races because you get to see the American representation.“
Kyle Petty, Coca-Cola Racing Family
“Coca-Cola has done so many programs like this and continues to be a huge part of each community that they’re in. I think so many times we don’t realize that we have neighbors and we have friends or we have acquaintances that suffer from food insecurities. This event, doing it here, doing it with the Lieutenant Governor, with Austin Dillon, with all these people, not only helps when these people get these boxes, but it brings awareness, and that’s the main thing for today. This is a great event with America 250, with Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Coca-Cola 600 coming up.”
The event served as a prelude to the 67th running of the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. One of NASCAR’s crown jewel events, the Coca-Cola 600 features 600 miles of four-wide, high-speed racing under the lights and draws fans from all 50 states and more than a dozen countries. The race weekend includes a pre-race concert, patriotic tributes and unique fan experiences both on and off the track, making it one of the most highly anticipated and patriotic events on the NASCAR schedule.
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