As temperatures rise, employees from Sundt‘s corporate headquarters in Tempe, Ariz., are once again gearing up to participate in the annual Thirst Aid water bottle drive to benefit St. Joseph the Worker, a nonprofit organization that aids the homeless and other disadvantaged individuals throughout the Phoenix area. Many of them suffer from thirst, heat-related illness and even death when temperatures soar in the spring and summer months.
The Sundt Foundation organized the company’s first Thirst Aid event in 2010 with the hope of collecting 1,200 water bottles. They crushed their goal by collecting 49,000 bottles, and that number tripled the following year when 149,000 bottles came through our doors – so many that St. Joseph the Worker was able to supply the entire Human Services Campus with water. (The Human Services Campus is a collaboration of 15 homeless service providers that was created to address the growing demand for services by people experiencing homelessness.) As a result, the agencies didn’t have to turn away a single person that year who needed water.
The goal for this year’s drive? Collecting 150,000 water bottles and continuing the commitment to making the event as green as possible. How? St. Joseph the Worker is installing recycling containers at all areas where trash receptacles are currently located so that the water bottles aren’t thrown away.
“As Sundt employees, we’re fortunate to have nice jobs in comfortable offices where we always have access to clean, cool water,” says Lisa White, a Foundation board member and organizer of the event. “Not everyone is so lucky, which is why the Sundt Foundation decided to get involved in Thirst Aid with our own water bottle drive. Since then, the participation and support have been tremendous. Many of our subcontractors have also gotten involved. It’s so satisfying to reach out and do what we can to help others – for them and for us.”