At sunrise the main road into Jhang is lined with people. Families stand quietly, some holding children and others clutching jerry cans for water. A convoy of trucks arrives stacked with sacks of flour, rice and bottled water. This is the face of an unfolding relief effort.

In district after district across Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan, Rizq, a social enterprise with close ties to communities, has launched its relief action with urgency. Many team members have not slept for 18 hours, travelling to the remotest areas often on dirt tracks that were once proper roads before the floods. The tireless dedication of these teams is the engine driving the operation, turning logistical problems into moments of human connection and aid delivery.

Over the years Rizq has gained more than just the trust of communities. For the flood relief drive, it found a partner in the corporate sector when the Coca-Cola Foundation and Coca-Cola System in Pakistan reached out to start one of the largest private food relief efforts of the season, delivering over 550,000 meals to families displaced by the floods.

“We have worked with Coca-Cola before. Every year we set up Ramadan Dastarkhwans in partnership with Coca-Cola Pakistan,” says Rizq CEO Qasim Javaid. “We value the trust of our partners and ensure their contributions reach those in need with integrity, transparency and respect.” This focus on accountability is central to Rizq’s work and is vital for securing the large partnerships needed for such relief.

The challenge is much greater this time. According to United Nations estimates, since late June heavy monsoon rains followed by floods and landslides have affected more than 6 million people. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports over 1,000 deaths. More than 12,500 homes are damaged, 6,500 livestock have been lost and crops have been destroyed across the country. Over 2 million people have been displaced and health officials warn of outbreaks of waterborne illnesses such as cholera. The strain on host communities has made the timely and organised distribution of aid critical.

To ease food insecurity, Coca-Cola has supported Rizq to distribute more than 3,000 ration hampers with flour, oil, sugar and lentils, enough to feed a family for a month. Rizq has also set up a community dastarkhwan to serve cooked meals in areas where stoves and utensils have been washed away. More than 100,000 bottles of safe drinking water are being delivered to places where contaminated supplies risk disease. Bedding, blankets and hygiene kits for women, all essential as winter nears, have also been provided. The inclusion of these items shows a wider approach to relief that considers both dignity and health.

At one corner of a relief site, volunteers spread plastic sheets for women and children to sit. Plates are passed out and steaming pots of lentils and bread are served. Children eat first followed by the elderly. These small but organised acts of care restore a sense of order in the middle of chaos.

The drive has been funded with 100,000 dollars from the Coca-Cola Foundation and 30,000 dollars from the Coca-Cola System, including Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited (CCI Pakistan), the company’s Turkish bottling partner. But it is not only money. Volunteers in reflective jackets, Rizq organisers, Coca-Cola staff and district administration workers unload supplies together in the heat. This joint effort of private, non-profit and government groups shows the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach to disaster relief.

“This contribution is critical to stabilising communities,” says Qasim, overseeing the distribution. “Coca-Cola’s assistance, including the time and effort of its volunteers, goes beyond material aid, showing people they are not alone. Disasters are traumatic and can leave people with fear, anxiety and helplessness.” The focus on people, treating emotional loss with the same seriousness as material loss, sets this effort apart.

An elderly farmer, Shabbir Hussain, collects his ration bag. His village near Jalalpur Pirwala had been cut off for days before the trucks arrived. “We lost everything in the floods,” he says. “This is the first proper food we have had in weeks. It means survival.” His words show the life-saving impact of the aid.

For Coca-Cola the relief is part of ongoing support. In 2022 after the devastating floods the company helped in Balochistan, distributing hygiene kits and installing a solar powered water plant in Thatta. This year’s operation, designed by Rizq, is larger, faster and adapted to the needs of isolated communities facing a harsh winter. Lessons from past drives have clearly made the response more effective.

The work at the Jhang site continues into the evening. Volunteers collect empty bags while children finish the last of their meals. As floodwaters recede, these moments of shared food and cooperation between companies and communities become lifelines, giving people hope that life can be rebuilt.

For now the numbers — half a million meals, thousands of hampers, hundreds of volunteers — tell one story. The quieter story is written on the faces of those who leave with heavy sacks on their shoulders and a renewed sense of possibility.

This content is produced in paid partnership with Coca-Cola.