Anheuser-Busch Donates 2 Million-Plus Cans of Drinking Water to Flood, Storm Victims in Past 18 Months
“Making Friends Is Our Business”
Anheuser-Busch has been putting some weight…and some water…behind its corporate motto as of late. As record flooding grips the Upper Midwest and Mississippi River valley and residents head for higher ground, the nation’s largest brewer is providing one of life’s necessities: safe drinking water to victims and relief workers.
Last week alone the nation’s largest brewer provided more than 12,000 cases of drinking water to residents in five Wisconsin markets; Cedar Valley, Iowa; Canton, Mo.; and Quincy and Lawrenceville, Ill. Drinking water has also been shipped to victims of violent storms and tornadoes in Clay County, West Va., and Salina, Kan.
Local Anheuser-Busch wholesalers in those individual markets are working with the American Red Cross and other relief agencies to make certain the water is delivered to those in need.
In May, Anheuser-Busch donated more than 2,000 cases of drinking water to firefighters who battled wildfires along Florida’s Atlantic coast as well as residents in those areas. The company also shipped water to victims of tornadoes in Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri.
Also, to prepare for potential needs in the Southeast United States and in areas around the Gulf of Mexico during the Atlantic hurricane season, Anheuser-Busch has pre-staged 25,800 cases of canned drinking water at various warehouses in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, enabling relief agencies to deliver water immediately should a hurricane strike these areas.
“No matter when and where disaster strikes, Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers are always among the first on the scene, helping our neighbors get back on their feet. We feel a need—an obligation—to mobilize our resources in such times and to deliver fresh drinking water and supplies to victims and relief workers,” says Pete Kraemer, vice president of operations for Anheuser-Busch. “Few companies have the resources and the distribution network to provide vital supplies on a moment’s notice, and we are happy to assist.”
Last year Anheuser-Busch and its distributors provided a total of 88,298 cases—or more than 2.1 million cans—of packaged drinking water to victims of natural disasters. These included ice storms in Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa; tornadoes in Florida, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas; wildfires in California, Florida and Georgia; and flooding in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Texas and Kansas.
“Our company has a long-standing commitment of giving back to those communities where we do business,” said Kraemer. “This support includes charitable contributions to community organizations, disaster relief, and helping to protect important natural resources.”
Helping communities cope with natural disasters has been an Anheuser-Busch tradition since 1906 when Adolphus Busch made a donation to victims of the San Francisco earthquake.