Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
On July 24, Tempe Community Action Agency received 1,100 cases of water, equating to 26,000 bottles, courtesy of personal finance company Achieve as part of a charitable heat relief-oriented partnership.
The donations were delivered to the nonprofit’s food pantry, 2146 E. Apache Blvd. in Tempe.
The water bottles will be distributed to East Valley clients through TCAA’s Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program, Meals on Wheels initiative, food pantry and heat relief community outreach, according to a press release.
“We are incredibly thankful for Achieve’s gracious donation of water during this challenging season for many of our community’s most at-risk in the heat, including young children, older adults, people without access to air conditioning and those who live with disabilities,” said Deborah Arteaga, CEO of TCAA.
TCAA’s Tempe food pantry received the donated water bottles Wednesday morning with the help of five volunteers from TCAA and six participating from Achieve.
“We are so proud to be able to support TCAA and the Tempe community at large through this water drive,” said Henri’ Dawes, vice president of DEI and learning & development at Achieve. “The enthusiasm from our Achieve teammates is indicative of how we live our core value of caring for everyone and we’re thankful for their enthusiastic support. This is our first water drive and we’re looking forward to a continued partnership with TCAA.”
Distribution of the water bottles to vulnerable community members will begin immediately through the following ongoing TCAA programs and supportive outreach initiatives:
- Meals on Wheels: TCAA recognizes that clients are of diverse physical ability and health backgrounds, meaning that many would-be recipients may be unable to physically attend the nonprofit’s food pantry for necessary supplies or endure Arizona’s dangerous triple-digit temperatures. TCAA’s Meals on Wheels program provides homebound aging and disabled adults with regular meal deliveries and wellness check-ins performed by both volunteers and staff members.
- Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program: Through the I-HELP, TCAA and its network of community and faith partners offer overnight emergency shelter for adult clients experiencing homelessness. As clients leave the shelter for the day each morning, they are given bottles of water to ensure hydration needs are met until their return in the evening. This program provides overnight sleeping spaces, evening meals, showers, laundry services, intensive case management, housing placement and resource navigation to assist up to 40 participants at a time in resolving barriers to ending their period of homelessness.
- TCAA’s Food Pantry: TCAA’s food pantry serves an estimated 2,500 community members each month. Water bottles are included in emergency food boxes for clients, as well as TCAA’s traveler to-go bags, which contain food items that do not require cooking or refrigeration. Food boxes are distributed to clients with a physical Tempe residence. Annually, TCAA’s food pantry serves roughly 30,500 unduplicated people, and incorporates fresh produce grown in TCAA’s Escalante Community Garden, as well as food donated by United Food Bank and a broad network of local restaurants and stores.
TCAA’s heat relief program recognizes the multi-faceted toll that Arizona’s deadly summer heat can have on families. In addition to distributing water bottles, the nonprofit also offers emergency relief for rent, mortgage, and utility payments for households experiencing a financial crisis.
