Anheuser-Busch and its wholesaler partners in July donated more than 80,000 cans of emergency drinking water to 35 fire departments across Kansas. The brewer’s fifth annual partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) provides clean, safe drinking water to local fire departments nationwide.
Nationally, Anheuser-Busch in July donated 2.5 million cans of emergency drinking water to more than 600 volunteer fire departments across 47 states.
“The Kansas Chamber applauds and encourages efforts like this from Kansas business leaders,” said Kansas Chamber President and CEO Alan Cobb. “By giving back, Anheuser-Busch empowers our heroes and makes a difference in the lives of Kansans.”
When firefighters and first responders rush to the scene of an emergency, they need to be able to stay hydrated. However, many volunteer fire departments lack the resources to provide clean drinking water for their crews.
“We thank Anheuser-Busch, NVFC and our local wholesalers who have delivered over 80,000 cans of emergency drinking water to local fire departments across Kansas this summer,” said Gary Clark, Chief of the Mitchell County Fire District. “Battling wildfires in rural and hard-to-reach areas of the state requires a steady supply of drinking water to keep our responders hydrated, and we’re grateful for the support of our community partners who have helped make this possible.”
The brewer set the goal of reaching more than 1,000 fire departments before the end of the year. According to Anheuser-Busch, the initiative’s expansion represents a significant evolution in the brewer’s 30-year-strong commitment to disaster relief as well as its deep appreciation for the first responders keeping communities safe.
“Emergency drinking water is critical for firefighters’ safety and ability to respond to crises at home each year,” said NVFC Chair Steve Hirsch. “We appreciate Anheuser-Busch’s increased commitment to supplying our nation’s fire service with this much-needed resource and for their continued partnership in keeping our communities safe.”
Since 2019, Anheuser-Busch and its national network of independent wholesalers have partnered with the NVFC to donate more than 6.4 million cans of clean, safe drinking water to more than 960 fire departments. These wholesalers include Kansas partners Ark Valley Distributing, City Beverage Co., Crawford Sales, Demo Distributors, Eagle Beverage Co., Flint Hills Beverage, O’Malley Beverage, Pestinger Distributing, Seneca Wholesale, Strathman Sales, and Wil Fischer Distributing.
“It’s a privilege to be able to support the members of Thomas County Rural Fire Department #5, Phillips County Rural District #1, Plainville Fire Department, Graham County Fire Department, Decatur County Fire Department, Rawlins County Rural Fire District #2, McPherson Rural Fire Department #8, Mitchell County Fire District #3, Grant Township Fire District, Smith Center Volunteer Fire Department and Barnard Rural Fire Department by delivering emergency drinking water to their stations,” said Matt Pestinger, Owner of Pestinger Distributing. “Firefighters and EMS are often the first to respond in times of crisis, and we’re grateful to the men and women who stand ready to assist their neighbors at all hours of the day.”
According to Anheuser-Busch, emergency drinking water is sourced from its breweries in Cartersville, Georgia and Fort Collins, Colorado which periodically pause beer production to can clean, safe drinking water to support disaster relief efforts in partnership with the American Red Cross and NVFC.
Since the creation of its emergency drinking water program in 1988, Anheuser-Busch has donated more than 90 million cans of clean drinking water to U.S. communities affected by natural disasters and other crises.
