Sub shop hosting bottled water drive

With the summer of 2019 turning out to be a scorcher for the second consecutive year, staying hydrated is turning out to be a challenge for anyone who spends days working in sweltering conditions.

But at least they usually have access to unlimited amounts of water, be it in bottles or thermoses.

For many people in Niagara Falls, including the homeless, having access to clean water isn’t always possible.

Folks in the city can help ensure at-risk people also have life-giving water by taking part in a bottled water donation event at Firehouse Subs on Lundy’s Lane Saturday.

For the third year in a row, the sandwich shop has teamed up with Niagara Falls Community Outreach (NFCO) — which operates a year-round soup kitchen on Lawrence Avenue — to give out free medium subs to anyone who brings in an unopened case of 24 bottles of water that day. The bottles will be handed out to people leaving lunches at the soup kitchen.

The agency recently handed out reusable water bottles, but for homeless people, that isn’t always practical.

“Some of them have no place to store stuff, or clean them,” said Chris Watling, chair of the NFCO board. “We know there’s a concern about plastic water bottles, but we’re concerned with hydrating them.”

Last year’s water bottle event netted 157 cases of water, with some people donating more than one case; last year, one couple lugged in 10 cases of water, said Purvang Patel, owner of the sub shop at 6758 Lundy’s Lane.