Thanks to amazing generosity from residents and businesses and numerous innovative ideas, more homeless and unsheltered people benefited from the 9th Annual Mesa Hydration Donation Campaign, which ended Sept. 18.
The campaign, which began June 1, collected 836,154 bottles of water, which shatters the goal of 400,000. The total more than doubles last year's campaign which collected 392,044 bottles. The campaign has seen major increases in donations over the years. In 2009, the total was just over 60,000.
"The Hydration Donation Campaign proves Mesa is a community filled with caring people who are willing to come together to support a tremendous cause," Mayor John Giles said. "I am extremely grateful for the efforts of various City departments, our community partners and residents who reached out during the extreme heat of the summer to help those in need."
The water donations were collected by Mesa Fire and Medical Department, United Food Bank, Paz de Cristo, A New Leaf and several business partners. The collections were achieved through a variety of methods:
oValley Transit Constructors (VTC) donated 100 pallets or 195,600 bottles of water to United Food Bank after using the pallets instead of sandbags for safety testing.
oMore than 40,200 bottles of water were collected by City of Mesa employees during a Community Spirit donation drive the final six weeks of the campaign.
oEastmark residents held a donation drive during June and collected 6,893 bottles, easily surpassing its goal of 5,000. One of the Eastmark contractors, Rummel Civil Construction Management, donated a pallet of water.
oKeller Williams Integrity First Realty collected 254 cases or 6,300 bottles.
oMembers of Via Church in Mesa collected 6,808 bottles
oEmployees of the new Four Points by Sheraton collected 2,568 bottles
oGolfland Sunsplash collected 286 cases of water during Water Wednesdays in June and July where a water donation provided a significant discount on admission to the park.
"We are amazed and gratified by the response from the community during the Hydration Donation Campaign. It shows when you put a call to action in Mesa, the residents and community organizations really step up and deliver. This water has helped to keep so many people in our community hydrated this summer, and we truly owe it all to our community," United Food Bank President and CEO Ginny Hildebrand said.
The donated water is distributed by United Food Bank to numerous nonprofit organizations in Mesa and throughout the valley including Paz de Cristo and A New Leaf-East Valley Men's Center.
Public Information and Communications
Contact: Kevin Christopher
Tel. 480-644-4699
kevin.christopher@mesaaz.gov