DALTON, Mass. — The Fire Department received a donation of more than 2,352 cans of emergency drinking water from Anheuser-Busch and Girardi Distributors on Friday morning. 

 

The donation will be stored in the department's cooler and distributed at fire scenes on hot summer days or made readily available to the firefighters when combating a fire, interim Fire Chief Robert Czerwinski said. 

 

Anheuser-Busch partners with the National Volunteer Fire Council to provide emergency drinking water to volunteer fire departments so they can focus their limited resources on other things.

 

This donation goes a long way because it allows the department to save money by not having to buy extra drinking water, Czerwinski said. 

 

Supplying this water to volunteer departments is Anheuser-Busch and Girardi Distributors way of showing that they are part of the community, Girardi Distributors branch manager Mark Mason said. 

 

"It's a big cost to have to supply your own water, we know that. So, if we can make it easier and cost effective for the volunteer fire departments, they can put their resources into other areas," Mason said. 

 

"You know, buying other equipment that's more beneficial for them instead of spending hundreds of dollars on water, whatever we can do helps a little bit."

 

"More than two-thirds of America's firefighters are volunteers, often serving on the frontlines in their local communities with limited resources and staffing," Anheuser-Busch's press release said. 

 

The water hails from Anheuser-Busch's brewery in Cartersville, Ga., which periodically pauses its beer production to can clean, safe drinking water for the donation efforts. 

 

The national organization, Anheuser-Busch, makes more than 100 brands of beer including Budweiser.  

 

Girardi Distributors in Pittsfield has also recently delivered donated water to Becket, Clarksburg and Hinsdale. Girardi Distributors in Athol has also delivered donated water to fire departments in that area, Mason said. 

 

Anheuser-Busch has a long history of community engagement and support, examples being aiding in disaster relief and preparedness, its partnership with the Red Cross, and its emergency drinking water program. 

 

The brewer has donated more than 6.4 million cans of clean, safe drinking water to more than 960 volunteer fire departments across 49 states since launching the collaboration with the NVFC and its wholesaler in 2019. 

 

This year, Anheuser-Busch intends on donating more than 2.5 million cans to volunteer fire departments across the country, which is more than ever before.

 

More information on the Anheuser-Busch Emergency Drinking Water program here.