As temperatures begin to creep upward and summer months roll closer, Phoenix Rescue Mission is kicking off its 11th annual, Code:Red Summer Heat Relief Campaign to save the lives of the city’s unhoused and at-risk individuals.
The nonprofit’s goal is to protect the state’s most vulnerable population by collecting and distributing 1 million bottles of water.
Through Thursday, Aug. 31, Phoenix Rescue Mission (PRM) is providing essential resources to sustain the city’s homeless population, such as nonperishable food and water supplies, and is seeking donations ahead of this Valley-wide undertaking.
Monetary donations will be matched up to $150,000, made possible by several supporters of Phoenix Rescue Mission.
“Temperatures above 100 degrees can be fatal for anyone, but especially unhoused individuals,” Phoenix Rescue Mission CEO Ken Brissa said.
“They don’t have the same basic necessities of shelter and fresh water as other Valley residents do, so this campaign is crucial in saving lives.”
Phoenix Rescue Mission provides Christ-centered, life-transforming solutions to persons facing hunger, homelessness, addiction and trauma. The nonprofit, which has been operating since 1952, has many programs designed to transform lives, including Hope for Hunger Food Bank, Hope Coach Street Outreach, Temporary Shelter Programs, Men’s Addiction Recovery Programs, and the Changing Lives Center for Women and Children.
During the Code: Red campaign, several municipalities, including Avondale, Peoria, Glendale, Goodyear, Surprise, El Mirage and Scottsdale, have created partnerships with the PRM, bringing relief to the streets in the Mission’s Hope Coach vehicles to distribute water, toiletries and case management services.
Food, water and all other heat-relief donations can be dropped off at the Mission’s Donation Warehouse, located at 2515 N. 34th Drive, Phoenix.
PRM is also in need of volunteers to help distribute vital, nutritious food to families in need at its Hope for Hunger Food Bank in Glendale.
For more information on what to donate or to start a Code:Red drive, contact Kaesie Carroll at gikhelp@phxmission.org or 602-346-3347. More information about the 11th annual Code: Red initiative can be found at justgiving.com/campaign/codered2023.