Canned Water For Relief

Can'd Aid's last report ended just as we were preparing to ship water to Florida in response to Hurricane Ian. Ultimately, one and a half truckloads of water were delivered to The River Church at Tampa Bay, and then distributed via CityServe.Us to five different locations across the region that had been devastated by the Hurricane (Safe House Church, River Church Ft. Myers, Destiny Church Naples, Ft Myers Christian Center + Church United Naples). This was an impactful donation, as according to CityServe.Us's Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, "water will continue to be a need- several locations water systems completely failed and not forecast to be fixed for weeks." 

In October 2022, Can'd Aid also shipped an additional half truckload of water to the USNS Comfort - SouthCom, a US Navy hospital ship providing medical relief to five different stops in the Caribbean. The water was distributed to patients and medical personnel in the following five countries: Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia, Dominican Republic, and Haiti.

Just last week, Can'd Aid worked in partnership with relief organizationGood360 to respond to water needs in Coastal California in the wake of severe flooding. One pallet of water went to United Way of Santa Cruz County and the remainder of the truckload went to Starting With a Penny Food Bank, where it will be distributed in partnership with 10 different organizations within the Sacramento region. This donation is expected to serve approximately 7,200 people.

Each of these shipments was funded with support from long-term partners, Journeys and canned by Oskar Blues Brewery. Can'd Aid continues to strenghthen our partnership with Good360 in an effort to pre-position water in disaster prone areas, ultimately allowing us to provide water more quickly and efficiently in times of need. 

Our last report concluded as Can'd Aid prepared to ship a full truckload of water to the New Orleans based non-profit organization, Culture Aid. In a departure from standard disaster relief procedures, this water was shipped for Culture Aid's inaugural "July Supply" event, where New Orleans residents are encouraged to attend a fun, no-stigma hurricane preparedness event and "stock up on a variety of relief items before the season begins, rather than scrambling post-disaster when logistics, transportation, weather and more can complicate relief efforts", according to Culture Aid Founder and Executive Director, Erica Chomsky-Adelson. In addition to water, non-profits of all types donated goods and services to the July Supply event, which was by all accounts a smashing success, that ultimately provided 2,000 local families with necessary supplies, and continues to challenge folks to think differently about about innovative ways to approach disaster preparedness.

In early September, in partnership with Oskar Blues Brewery and Good360, and thanks to generous funding support from both Journeys and Atlas Copco, Can'd Aid shipped 72,000 cans of water to the Mississippi Urban League in Jackson, MS. This shipment was mobilized in response to a water crisis in which the city's water system reached a breaking point fueled by "years of decaying infrastructure, extreme winter weather and flooding" according to The Weather Channel. At the request of the National Urban League, Can'd Aid shipped 1.5 truckloads to their Jackson, MS chapter, which was then distributed throughout Jackson and surrounding communities, "prioritizing the most vulnerable such as homebound residents and those in senior centers" according to National Urban League's Director of Health, Equity and Policy, Ali Hoban. 

Currently, in response to Hurricane Ian, Can'd Aid is working to ship a truckload to Tampa, FL via CityServe.us - slated to arrive this week. 

Links:

• Culture Aid NOLA July Supply
• Culture Aid NOLA to provide 2,000 Hurricane Kits for New Orleans
• Jackson Water Crisis Fueled By Flooding, Years Of Decay

Since the end of March, Can'd Aid's water efforts have primarily been focused on getting clean, canned drinking water to  Phoenix, AZ and surrounding areas in response to extreme summer heat. At the request of partner organizations like Salvation Army and International Rescue Committee, Can'd Aid has sent out two and a half truckloads to assist a diverse population of citizens in need and ensuring that the water is already on-site and available before it becomes an emergency. 

The first truckload arrived at Salvation Army in late March; intended for "excessive heat warning response teams as well as other emergency situations throughout the state." Salvation Army is a member of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Regional Heat Relief Network, and according to employee Nicole Kanne, there were 338 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County alone. Kanne also elaborated on the distribution plan and additional use of Can'd Aid's shipment, saying "on National Weather Service (NWS)-designated EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS, The Salvation Army activates 11 units and two mobile units around Maricopa County to provide refuge, water and heat relief items to the community...the water will also be used for ongoing needs, including serving emergency disaster teams that will activate during the summer months for wildfires, floods, and other disasters in the southwest. We plan to take water to those deployments for first responders and survivors."

The second shipment, half a truckload, was distributed to International Rescue Committee in April - where it served refugee populations and asylum seekers - where employees provide fresh, cold water to clients immediately upon their arrival at IRC's Refugee Center. From there, clients have access to refrigerated water cans day and night throughout their stay as well. According to IRC contact Jessica Hernandez, the Refugee Center has "received an average of 3,870 refugees/asylum seekers each month from March 2021 to January 2022. The countries that individuals are from are Cuba, Brazil, Romania, India and Venezuela. I have been seeing Russian, Haitian and African asylum seekers these past few months." An additional full truckload of water is headed out to IRC today (June 7, 2022), and will provide ongoing, uninterrupted access to clean drinking water for this population.

In an exciting update, Can'd Aid is also working with New Orleans based organization Culture Aid, in an innovative effort to approach disaster preparedness and relief differently, by hosting a fun, no-stigma hurricane preparedness event. New Orleans residents are encouraged to attend and stock up on hurricane relief items before the season begins, rather than scrambling post-disaster when logistics, transportation, weather and more can complicate relief efforts, or even make them impossible. Can'd Aid will be shipping a full truckload for the event on July 16th. Culture Aid Founder and Executive Director, Erica Chomsky-Adelson says of the event "[m]y hope is that this event challenges non-profits to think differently about preparedness and community care in a time of climate change. I also think it's going to be really beautiful and fun for our community to feel more secure and safe heading into a potentially traumatic season."