Columbus nonprofit gives tumblers to homeless population
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – July and August are usually the hottest months of the year in Mississippi.
So, staying hydrated takes on extra importance, especially if you spend much of your time outdoors.
That can be a significant problem for the area’s homeless.
The city of Columbus is partnering with Building Bridges of Hope to help find a solution to that problem.
Glenda Richardson with Building Bridges of Hope said it starts with something as simple as a container.
“We have a lot of citizens that walk around in Columbus all the time even in ninety to one-hundred degree weather like this. And so we want to make sure all of our citizens are hydrated. So we came up with the Hydration for Humanity tumblers. And so they keep things cold for twenty-four hours, and if the weather is hot, it will keep it hot for twelve hours, so we don’t want our citizens passing out,” Richardson said.
Richardson first went to the Columbus Police Department with her idea.
“We have officers on the street 24 hours a day and we are patrolling the street 24 hours a day. A lot of the homeless population we deal with on a regular basis and some of our officers know them personally. I’ve had officers in the past buy sandwiches for them, buy them drinks, Gatorade, and water; so when Ms. Glenda came to us with this idea we could not pass it up. It was a great idea,” Daughtry said.
Some police officers, firefighters, and public works vehicles will be stocked with Gatorade and water.
And some businesses like Zachary’s will fill the tumblers for free.
Daughtry said it is important for his department to help.
“Some people in this community are one paycheck away from being homeless so we put ourselves in their situations. If you think about it, just getting some water and staying hydrated for some people is a task. We just want to do the humane side of policing and try to assist with this,” Daughtry said.
Richardson said she wants to help her community.
“I hope that it will show a sign of unity for our community. The small things matter and if we can give a glass of water to a stranger I feel like the Lord is gonna bless us,” Richardson said.
Baby Dudes and United Deli are a couple of the other participating businesses.
