Heat is on for Main Street Project water drive

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Manitoba’s recent record-setting temperatures have forced many to seek cooling and hydration stations and other ways to stay safe from the heat that has sent dozens to hospital.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/06/2023 (851 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s recent record-setting temperatures have forced many to seek cooling and hydration stations and other ways to stay safe from the heat that has sent dozens to hospital.

On Friday, a Shared Health spokesperson said 28 people went to Winnipeg hospitals for heat-related reasons between May 28 and June 4, compared with four recorded cases during the same period in 2022.

Local organizations are assisting some of the capital city’s most vulnerable communities access clean drinking water, food, seasonal appropriate clothing, hygiene products, harm reduction supplies and other needs.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
                                A new hydration station at Central Park in Winnipeg provides clean drinking water during the summer months. This is the first in a three-station pilot project to be installed.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

A new hydration station at Central Park in Winnipeg provides clean drinking water during the summer months. This is the first in a three-station pilot project to be installed.

People experiencing homelessness are often outside for long periods of time and have a severe risk of developing dehydration, heat exhaustion or heat stroke, said Cindy Titus, communications specialist at Main Street Project.

The non-profit organization has a goal of collecting 50,000 disposable bottles of water for its annual drive in June.

“Providing clean drinking water and consistent access to it is a way for us to help keep the community safe,” she said. “Through our mobile outreach and our emergency shelter, we provide hundreds of bottles of water a day to the community.”

With extreme heat arriving early this year, Titus said a call for water donations is urgent.

During the summer months, Main Street Project does not close its emergency shelter, which means more people are accessing the space to escape the heat.

On select days, the shelter will set up cooling stations, where people can rinse off under a hose, sit in provided shade, and access drinking water.

People can also contact Main Street’s outreach van to do a well-being check on those who may be struggling with a heat-related illness.

Water drive donations are accepted at the back door of Food and Essentials Market (661 Main St.), Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Other business locations listed on the organization’s website are accepting donations on its behalf.)

Main Street Project also collects seasonal appropriate clothing such as shorts, T-shirts, sandals, sneakers, hats, sunscreen, new socks and underwear.

Daniel Hidalgo, founder of CommUnity 204, said volunteers at the organization frequently set up hydration stations in high-traffic areas downtown.

A couple weeks ago, they handed out 75 reusable water bottles and hundreds disposable water bottles to marginalized people in the community.

“We put out callouts for members of the city to donate bottles that they don’t use, and the response has been good, but I think it’ll get better now that the heat is really starting to get us,” he said.

For the second consecutive year, the City of Winnipeg has set up three 24-hour accessible hydration stations to help reduce the risk of heat illnesses: Central Park; Selkirk Avenue at Powers Street; and Broadway Neighbourhood Centre (185 Young St.).

Lisa Gilmour, Winnipeg emergency management co-ordinator, said the city has focused on providing hydration stations in areas where people spend the most time outside, don’t have access to indoor water supply or have the ability to purchase water regularly.

The city’s heat response plan involves talking to partnering organizations and sending resources to communities that are most impacted by heat-related illnesses, she said.

There are four designated cooling centres located in Bronx Park, East Elmwood, Luxton, and Riverview, during applicable hours.

“It’s important to meet people where they’re at… and to make sure that we’re doing our best to bring them supplies that they need, including water,” said Titus.

“I think a lot of us who are housed kind of take access to clean drinking water for granted and for many of the people that we serve, it’s just not something that they have very easy access to.”

Tessa.Adamski@freepress.mb.ca

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