CARTERET COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – One county here in the East was presented with a check to help support local foster care programs.

Jim Dandy Convenience Stores and Coca-Cola Consolidated presented a $5,000 donation to Carteret County Department of Social Services (DSS).

Executives of Jim Dandy and Coca-Cola Consolidated met at the Jim Dandy store in Newport to present the donation check to officials from Carteret County DSS.

“It is strong community partnerships like this that allow us to invest in the lives of our children in foster care,” “Each year, this generous contribution has allowed us to fulfill our goals of expanding opportunities for our children to participate in after-school learning programs, strengthening their connections in our community, and maintaining children in family or kinship homes by alleviating financial costs of these programs.” said Kody Krebs, child welfare program manager with DSS.

During the month of December, a portion of sales were collected from each bottle of Coca-Cola sold at a Jim Dandy store with proceeds going towards youth in the care of Carteret County DSS.

Coca-Cola Consolidated agreed to match the amount raised during the month-long program.

“A big thank you really goes to all the Jim Dandy customers who supported this cause with their purchases,” said Ieva Grimm, Chief Operating Officer for Jim Dandy. “Something to be said about lots of local people coming together to support local kids in need. Our store teams and vendor partners are proud to be part of this and are looking forward to continuing this program next fall.”

This is the third consecutive year that Jim Dandy and Coca-Cola Consolidated have collaborated on a fundraiser supporting the Carteret County Foster Care program raising a total of $13,750.