As part of the annual Thirst Aid Heat Relief Drive, Keys to Change hosts a monthly collection event throughout the summer, as a convenient way for community members to drop off individual contributions or drive supplies collected from their community. The next event takes place June 7 at 9am.
Requested items include cases of water, electrolyte packets, hats, reusable water bottles, sunscreen, personal-size umbrellas (for shade). Thirst Aid Heat Relief Drive is a collaborative effort benefiting all 13 agencies at Key Campus, serving thousands of unhoused individuals each week, ensuring consistent access to hydration and protection during Arizona’s most dangerous months. The June event is part of the summer-long series of monthly drives running through September. Learn more at www.ThirstAidAZ.org.
Keys to Change teams up with a different Key Campus partner each month to promote Thirst Aid. CASS is the June featured partner and operates the 600-bed emergency shelter at Key Campus.
- Saturday, June 7, 9 a.m. to noon
- Key Campus south gate — 1300 W. Harrison Street (15th Avenue, one block South of Madison
- In 2024, Maricopa County identified 608 heat-related deaths, one of the deadliest years on record—with nearly half involving people experiencing homelessness. Key Campus distributes up to 120,000 bottles of water each month to individuals experiencing homelessness, the majority of which are donated by the community through the Thirst Aid drive.
- “Key Campus is where the unhoused community in Maricopa County can come to begin the journey home,” says Amy Schwabenlender, CEO of Keys to Change. “Staff from Keys to Change and CASS collaborate throughout the year at all levels – whether it’s case manager to case manager helping to coordinate care, operations teams synching up about on-Campus security and facilities maintenance, or executive teams mapping out a shared strategic vision for the future. We’re separate organizations coming together in the same location, working with the same clients in different aspects of their lives, in pursuit of the same mission to end homelessness in Maricopa County. We’re stronger and more effective when we work together. And together, we’re creating a safer, healthier, cooler, and better-hydrated Campus community throughout the extreme heat of the summer months.”
- “Basic survival during a Phoenix summer requires at least four bottles of water per person, per day,” says CASS CEO Nathan Smith. “That means CASS, which serves 1,200 people per day (600 receiving shelter), needs nearly 5,000 bottles of water daily just to meet the most essential need. As temperatures continue to climb, water donations and community support are critical in preventing heat-related illness and death among our city’s most vulnerable residents.”
- Drive-up water donations in action
- Volunteers unloading and organizing supplies
- Stacks of donated water bottles
- Interviews with Keys to Change or CASS staff (available upon request)
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Media Contacts:
Kim Beaudoin
Marketing and Communications Manager
Keys to Change
602-282-0849
kbeaudoin@keystochangeaz.org
About CASS
As Arizona’s largest and longest-serving emergency shelter provider, Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) is dedicated to ending homelessness by providing shelter, services, and housing solutions. For over 40 years, CASS has empowered thousands of individuals and families to regain stability and rebuild their futures. For more information about CASS’s efforts to support individuals and families in need, visit www.cassaz.org.
