As record-breaking temperatures continue in Manitoba, one of Winnipeg’s cornerstone homeless shelters needs clean drinking water to help its clients battle the heat.
Main Street Project put out a call for more than double the amount of bottled water they usually do for the city’s vulnerable population.
During previous summers the organization called for approximately 20,000 bottles to hand out. This year, they’re asking for upwards of 50,000.
“It became urgent much sooner than previous years due to the many days of extreme heat so early into the summer months,” Cindy Titus, communication specialist for MSP, told 680 CJOB’s The Jim Toth Show.
Environment Canada reported four communities in Manitoba broke temperature records for June 6, with communities like Carberry reaching 33 C, surpassing temperatures last seen in 1972, and Lynn Lake breaking its record of 26.7 C set in 1961 with a two-degree increase.
Through its mobile outreach program and emergency shelter MSP hands out hundreds of bottles of water per day, Titus said.
The organization usually plans a drive to collect bottled water sometime in July each year, but the scorching temperatures mean the demand is greater now.
“People experiencing homelessness … they don’t really get a break from the heat the way that many of us do,” Titus said.
“We can get a cold glass of water, we can freeze some ice cubes and kind of comfort ourselves that way … a lot of the community that we support, they don’t have that option.”
Vulnerable populations are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses such as dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, Titus added.
And while bottles of water can be donated to the organization directly or through a partner business, spreading the word about the need is just as effective.
“Many people coming together makes a big difference.”