Company officials said they hope the water donation provides some relief and comfort to residents and first responders.
The water will help hundreds of thousands of people affected by the hurricane including, quite possibly, MillerCoors employees in Albany, Ga. dealing with its aftermath.
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“One of the things that we hear from our employees is how proud they are when we’re able to support the local communities … family, friends, neighbors,” plant manager Denise Quinn told this news outlet.
“This one takes on even greater meaning because this product can go anywhere that it may be needed. They’re all, I think, very proud of the opportunity to be able to do this and know that it’s not just localized support, this is really country-wide support that they are participating in.”
The Butler County location of MillerCoors was chosen from the company’s seven other plants because it is a high-performing brewery that possesses the necessary flexibility, she said.
The plant’s technology, which includes a can line capable of running 1,300 cans per minute, allows it to easily implement the necessary production, Quinn said.
Each case is a 12-pack filled with 12 ounces of water in each can, she said.
To can and package the water is a different process from the one used by the company for its beer, and the entire line must be shut down and cleaned out, Quinn said.
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MillerCoors has an ongoing commitment to water can donations to communities in crisis, company officials said. It launched its water program in the summer of 2017 in partnership with Broomfield, Colo.-based Ball. Together, the two entities have committed to providing more than 2 million cans to the Red Cross to help communities affected by disasters over the next two years.
MillerCoors donated 200,000 cans of water in September to those impacted by Hurricane Florence. In partnership with American Red Cross and area food banks, the water cans were distributed at the Red Cross and community shelters.
Earlier this year, the company donated 25,000 cans of water to residents in southern Iowa impacted by a boil order and 50,000 cans of drinking water to California residents impacted by wildfires.
MillerCoors made similar donations of more than 550,000 cans of water to Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean to assist during Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
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