Sundt Construction Inc., with help from its subcontractors and suppliers, hosted its seventh annual Thirst Aid water drive, delivering a semi-truck-load of nearly 150,000 bottles of water to St. Joseph the Worker, a Human Service Campus agency, on Friday, May 20.
As Phoenix’s summer temperatures hit triple digits, employees from Sundt’s corporate headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, participated in the Thirst Aid water drive to benefit St. Joseph the Worker, a nonprofit organization that aids homeless and other disadvantaged individuals throughout the Phoenix area. Many homeless and disadvantaged people suffer from thirst, heat-related illness and even death when temperatures soar in the summer months.
Sundt organized the company’s first Thirst Aid event in 2010 with the hope of collecting 120 cases of water (2,880 bottles). That goal was crushed by the collection of nearly 50,000 bottles.
The number tripled the following year when 149,000 bottles came through the door – so many that St. Joseph the Worker was able to share with the entire Human Services Campus. Contributions from Sundt and its partners continue to increase annually. This year’s collections — with additional donations continuing to pour in – pushes the cumulative total to more than 1 million bottles of water donated since Sundt’s participation in the initiative began seven years ago.
As a result of Sundt’s efforts, St. Joseph the Worker, in collaboration with the Human Services Campus service providers, has not had to turn away any individual who needed water.
The Human Services Campus, an unprecedented collaboration of 12 homeless service providers, was created in 2006 to address the growing demand for services by people experiencing homelessness. Each day, 1,300 men and women access resources such as shelter, physical and mental health services, dental care, substance abuse treatment, employment services and housing placement.
Collectively, each agency works with their supporters to collect donated water and heat relief funding to be able to provide for the needs of the individuals utilizing services on the Human Services Campus.
Each year, the City of Phoenix holds a water drive and places hydration stations around the community. With the support of its collective donors, St. Joseph the Worker and other Human Service Campus providers no longer have to reach out to the City of Phoenix for assistance. By providing for the individuals on the campus through this collective effort, the City of Phoenix is able to assist smaller agencies that do not have the support of organizations such as Sundt.
