Food banks need water for distribution
By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on August 3, 2022.
Herald Photo by Ry Clarke.
A team from for Streets Alive Mission hands out water to the city's vulnerable last week downtown.LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com
With the recent heat wave, the need for water to be distributed to those in need continues to increase. The Interfaith Food Bank distributed the very last of the water that they had on-hand Tuesday.
Interfaith Food Bank Executive Director, Danielle McIntyre said they are making necessary purchases to restock so there are enough bottles of water available to their distribution partners.
“The food banks are the major collection sites for water donations from the community and we are also collecting money to purchase water that our distribution partners get right into the hands of the people who need it most,” said McIntyre.
She said they have been planning to work with several distribution partners over the summer to battle the heat waves that were expected.
“We’ve been finding that the demand is exceeding our supply and we’re really hoping that the community would be able to help us out with some donations,” said McIntyre.
She said they are accepting both water bottle cases and money to be able to purchase water as well.
“If people are able to pick up a few cases and bring them by either the Lethbridge Food Bank or Interfaith Food Bank that would be wonderful, but they can also contribute to either food bank online, and indicate they would like us to use that money for water purchases if that’s what they prefer,” said McIntyre.
She said they are desperate to have water on site for those who need it, and when they make purchases they usually get large quantities that take more than a day to acquire.
“We will use money that we have on hand, whether or not it has been identified for water purchases. We need to just make sure that all of our distribution partners are stocked as they need it,” said McIntyre.
Diversion Outreach Team, The Salvation Army, SAGE Clan, Community Links, Alpha House, My City Care, Streets Alive Mission and the Canadian Mental Health Association are distributing water collected by the food banks to those most vulnerable.
“If we can’t offer them shade or a cool area inside, at least we can keep them hydrated and so that’s where the majority of water is going, but we do have people who are walking into the food bank asking for a water as well, so if people are arriving on site, we will make sure that they are getting a bottle or two,” said McIntyre.
She said they are also accepting new refillable water bottles for those who can access potable water.
“We’re very grateful to the community who always seemed to step up for us when we are in a crisis situation. We are always going to be here for the community one way or the other and our needs change depending on weather and seasons and whatnot,” said McIntyre.
Follow @APulidoHerald on Twitter
16-15
What ever happened to drinking fountains?