Mesa falls short on water bottle donations; Scottsdale extends heat relief hours

May 24, 2023

Mesa’s Hydration Donation Campaign is falling short on donations, just as Phoenix ends a 31-day streak of temperatures at or above 110 degrees.

The campaign has collected 46,000 fewer bottles of water compared to this time last year. Tory Wilson with United Food Bank said demand is at an all-time high.

“We have a partner serving about 500 water bottles every day to people that don’t have a home or somewhere safe that they can stay cool," Wilson said. "This agency has surpassed what they thought they would serve all summer when it comes to water.”

This year’s goal is to collect 700,000 bottles of water. There are 20 drop-off locations throughout the city to donate water. The list of locations is available on the city's website. Cash donations are also accepted.

Scottsdale has also extended the hours for its day relief centers. They offer a cool place to rest, showers, meals and water.

The extended hours will run through the end of September. Those are: