Record participation from residents and businesses helps Mesa shatter its Hydration Donation Campaign goal for the second consecutive year, allowing more people to get water during the hot desert summer. The campaign, which started on June 1 and ended on Sept. 30, collected 773,075 bottles of water, breaking the goal of 600,000. Since 2007, the effort has collected more than six million bottles. The Hydration Donation Campaign has seen significant increases in donations over the years. In 2009, the total was just over 60,000.
The Hydration Donation Campaign shows that Mesa is a community of caring people who are willing to come together to support a tremendous cause,” said Mayor John Giles. “Thanks to everyone who donated during the hot summer months, we surpassed our goal and provided help to those in need.”
Mesa Fire and Medical Department, United Food Bank, Paz de Cristo, A New Leaf, Mesa Chamber of Commerce and several City, nonprofit and business partners collected water donations.
“We are so grateful for all of the support this year during the Mesa Hydration Donation Campaign. We were able to exceed this year’s goal because of all the generous donations of the residents, businesses and community organizations that stepped up once again,” said Dave Richins, United Food Bank President and CEO.
Collection highlights during the campaign include:
Mesa Chamber of Commerce secured a semi from Niagara Bottling, whose employees donated more than 34,000 bottles of water. Resolution Copper made four large donations totaling 270,720 bottles. Other large contributions from the business community came from Dexcom (16,920), Northrup Grunnman (16,094) and Bashas (10,964).
Superstition Springs Elementary donated 11 pallets or 12,803 bottles of water.
Dobson Ranch HOA matched 200 cases of water collected by residents.
Mesa resident Amanda Ferguson collected 45,336 bottles through her non-profit organization, Bottles for Bill. Amanda started Bottles for Bill to honor her brother, Bill Grimmer, an Army veteran who died of heat exhaustion in the Arizona desert in 2013.
The Superstition Springs Lead Group, which donated 25,872 bottles, won the Mesa Chamber of Commerce’s One Ton Challenge, which encouraged businesses, residents and organizations to buy a pallet of water which weighs more than a ton.
“I am really proud of the business community getting behind this life-saving effort with friendly competitions like the One Ton Water Challenge to collect cases of water and help so many people in need this summer,” said Sally Harrison, President and CEO of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce.
United Food Bank distributes the water collected through Mesa’s Hydration Donation Campaign to numerous non-profit organizations across the valley, including Mesa United Way, Paz de Cristo and A New Leaf-East Valley Men’s Center.
