It’s been six months since Hurricane Irma unleashed its heavy winds and never-ending rainfall on Coffee County. The aftermath of the tropical storm resulted in widespread power outages, a number of roadways blocked by trees and debris, and lots of flooding. In preparation for the storm, stores were emptied of food and water. Many were left without the necessary and that’s when Premium Waters stepped in.
Michael Lord, plant manager, revealed to DouglasNow.com that it was actually an employee’s idea to sell water due to the limited water supply. “We felt like it was the right thing to do,” said Lord. There was a problem though – Premium Waters doesn’t sell water to the public. In order to collect cash and offer water to the public, PWI (Premium Waters Inc) had prepared to distribute the water at a warehouse in the same facility as Second Harvest. During that period of time, PWI was able to sell over 6,000 cases of water.
The president and vice president of production agreed that all earnings should be donated to organizations in Coffee County. On March 19, 2018, Premium Waters presented donation checks to the following: Greater Destiny International Ministries, Douglas First United Methodist Church and Coffee County Emergency Management Agency.
Greater Destiny International Ministries received $7,000 to help fund Destiny’s House. This program helps single mothers when they need it most.
Douglas First United Methodist Church received $6,500 to help fund their three individual food programs. They have a food pantry that’s open every Thursday, Project Munch that prepares food bags for children and a food ministry that is held the last Saturday of each month.
Emergency Management Agency received $1,500 to help assist those who didn’t have insurance or didn’t have enough insurance after the damage sustained from Hurricane Irma.
“We are proud and privileged to be involved in giving money to all three great organizations,” said Lord. The event was well received in the community and PWI was pleased to know that they were able to help in some way.