Last Friday, 191,000 bottles of water were loaded onto a flatbed semi and delivered to St. Joseph the Worker, a non-profit organization in downtown Phoenix that serves the city’s homeless population. The event was the culmination of this year’s Thirst Aid campaign to “hydrate the homeless,” which is spearheaded by Sundt and supported by a number of our partners, subcontractors, suppliers and vendors.
“Homeless people do not always have access to water and are often unable to cool down indoors,” said Lisa White, a Sundt employee and organizer of the campaign. “These conditions make water bottle donations crucial for the summer months. I’m very proud to say that we surpassed this year’s goal by more than 40,000 bottles!”
This is the fourth year Sundt has collected and donated water bottles for the homeless. In 2010, the company aimed to donate 120 cases (2,880 bottles) of water in order to commemorate its 120 years in business. Sundt surpassed that goal by donating 50,000 bottles of water. That number tripled the next year when 149,000 bottles were collected and donated. In 2012, the Thirst Aid water bottle drive collected and donated 139,000 bottles of water. The goal for 2013 was to increase that number to 150,000.
Partners participating in Thirst Aid 2013 include Able Steel, Adobe Energy, Ahmize, Barrett Homes, Biltrite , Bragg Companies, Briston Construction, Century Link , Charles Court Construction, CMC Commercial Metals, Comfort Systems, Complete Fire Protection, Corkery LLC dba European Techniques, Dickens Quality, DP Electric, Farnsworth, Ferguson, Field Lining, Gill Reprographics, Gretchen Cherrill Airpark Signs, HACI, Hansen Pipe, Interstate Interior Systems, J. Sugidono-Wholesale Floors, Kearney Electric, Kovach, Lehigh Hanson, Morrison & Associates, Opt Co, Partitions & Accessories, Premier Waste, Progressive Roofing, Rain for Rent, Roofing Southwest, Rummel, Schuff Steel, Spray Systems, Sunstate, Tyler Union, Wholesale Floors, Wilson Electric, WJ Maloney, and Premier Contracting (PCI).
St. Joseph the Worker is a small, privately funded non-profit organization located on the Human Services Campus in the heart of downtown Phoenix. Since 1988, it has been assisting homeless, low-income and other disadvantaged individuals in their efforts to become self-sufficient through permanent, full-time employment. It provides people with the tools necessary to conduct successful job searches and support them in their efforts to better their lives.
“The Human Services Campus is pleased to partner with St. Joseph the Worker and Sundt for the Thirst Aid campaign to raise water and awareness to help the homeless survive the summer heat,” said David Bridge, Managing Director of the Human Services Campus. “For four years, Sundt has raised an average of 150,000 water bottles each summer with major support coming from the company’s subcontractors and vendors. This water is not only used on the Campus, but is shared with community partners including other shelter and homeless providers, the City of Phoenix Police Department, and neighborhood outreach teams. Combined, our campaign has gotten more bottles of water into the hands of those needing it most. Every donation and contribution assists us in saving the lives of our community’s most vulnerable citizens.”