Local retailer helps distribute bottled water to social agencies
But it's also a troublesome time for the countless number of people who call the streets home.
To help alleviate possible dehydration among the homeless, the president of The Bargains Group founded Project Water in 2000, which distributes thousands of bottles of water to social service agencies.
"Demand for water for the homeless is at an all time high, with a projected long, hot summer ahead," Jody Steinhauer said in a press release. "Our efforts ensure that no one dies on the streets because of the projected extreme heat."
Dozens of volunteers will flock to The Bargains Group parking lot at 890 Caledonia Rd. Tuesday, July 8 to help distribute 200,000 bottles of water to 120 social service agencies such as The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, Youth Unlimited, Scott Mission and Fred Victor Centre, which in turn will hand out the bottles.
Remco Freight Forwarding will help distribute the water and Home Depot on Caledonia Road will donate employee time for water loading and its transportation company's services to help deliver water from the Lawrence Avenue and Dufferin Street business to the social service agencies.
Project Water isn't the only initiative Steinhauer has undertaken to help the homeless.
For the past seven years, Steinhauer has headed the purchasing and distribution of winter survival kits, the brainchild of charity group Hockey for the Homeless, which hosts annual hockey tournaments to raise funds for the kits.
Each of the 1,500 kits put together last winter were made up of $136 worth of products, including a knapsack, gloves, socks, a scarf, a sleeping bag, a travel mug and personal hygiene products.
