Tempe water drive uses community spirit to battle scorching temperatures

This year marks the earliest occurrence of multiple 110°F days and the hottest June on record.

PUBLISHED JUL 23, 2024

On July 20, the generosity of Tempe residents was on full display as car after car pulled up at the Pyle Adult Recreation Center

Phoenix, Arizona: As Greater Phoenix grapples with record-breaking heat, the community of Tempe is stepping up to help its most vulnerable residents stay hydrated. This year marks the earliest occurrence of multiple 110°F days and the hottest June on record, emphasizing the critical need for water and cooling resources.

Council member Berdetta Hodge responded to this urgent need by hosting a Citywide Water Drive during her July Community Gathering, 'Breakfast with Berdetta'. The initiative aimed to collect water for Tempe's cooling centers and the Hope Homeless Outreach Team.

"Sometimes when we offer a bottle of water, that can be our first interaction with that person," said Kim Jackson, a HOPE team coordinator.

"We live in a desert; we need water and lots of it," said Hodge. "We have unsheltered people and people walking without cars. We need as much water in Arizona as possible."

The water drive highlighted the importance of water in building trust with the unsheltered community. "Sometimes when we offer a bottle of water, that can be our first interaction with that person. It breaks down those walls to where they know they can start trusting the people that are there to help them," said Kim Jackson, a HOPE team coordinator. The collected water is crucial for these outreach efforts and for providing relief at the city's cooling centers.

On July 20, the generosity of Tempe residents was on full display as car after car pulled up at the Pyle Adult Recreation Center to donate bottles and cases of water.

The initiative aimed to collect water for Tempe's cooling centers and the Hope Homeless Outreach Team.

"My grandparents raised me, so I know for a fact that elderly people struggle during the summers a lot because of the temperatures," shared one participant. "I just love serving the community and with people like councilwoman Hodge, whenever they reach out, I make sure I show up to do what they ask me to do."

The drive was a success, collecting nearly 15,000 bottles of water, setting a record for any single community drive in Tempe. "This water will be used for our wonderful Hope Team to give out to our unsheltered and all our cooling centers around the city," said Hodge. "We give out about 40 cases a week, so today's collection will last us about four months."

Hodge emphasized the ongoing need for water donations: "This is going to be a continuing thing. I ask all of you, if you see a place that there's a donation of water or you come to a 'Breakfast with Berdetta', please continue to donate because we're going to need water 365 days a year."