ST. LOUIS, MO (October 13, 2017) – Anheuser-Busch is responding to the call for emergency drinking water by delivering over 480,000 cans of clean, safe, emergency drinking water to communities in California, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands affected by devastating natural disasters this month.
In California, as wildfires continue to spread across the northern region forcing the evacuation of more than 20,000 residents, the need for safe drinking water is growing. Anheuser-Busch is sending two truckloads – each carrying over 50,000 cans of water – to assist American Red Cross relief efforts in the region.
“We are humbled to provide this emergency drinking water to support our friends and neighbors in California during this time,” said Bill Bradley, Anheuser-Busch’s Vice President for Community Affairs.
Anheuser-Busch has two brewing facilities in California, one of which is located in Solano County, where wildfires have forced evacuations.
“Our Fairfield brewery is not at risk from the fires, but the heavy smoke in the area is making conditions difficult and the team has temporarily shut down operations until air quality improves,” Bradley said. “As always, employee safety is our top priority.”
The two trucks of drinking water will arrive in Sacramento and Fairfield this week. Once there, Anheuser-Busch distributor Markstein Beverage and the employees of the Fairfield brewery, will work with the local American Red Cross chapter to distribute the cans to those in need.
Across the country, in the wake of Hurricane Maria, Anheuser-Busch is working with its local Anheuser-Busch InBev colleagues at Cervecería Nacional Dominicana (CND), Macy’s and the American Red Cross to distribute water to communities in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Anheuser-Busch and the American Red Cross will ship 5 truckloads - over 250,000 cans - of emergency drinking water from Jacksonville, FL to Puerto Rico where they will distribute the water to those in need.
In partnership with Macy’s, Anheuser-Busch is sending an additional 25,000 cans of emergency drinking water which will be distributed by Macy’s staff across the island.
Last week, Anheuser-Busch shipped approximately two truckloads — over 100,000 cans — of emergency canned drinking water to Jacksonville, Florida from where they were transported to the U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix by the American Red Cross.
“Combining our resources and the scale of our operations to lend a hand to those in need is a core value of AB InBev. It is a privilege to support our AB InBev partners in the region who have offered such invaluable aid to affected communities since the storms”, said Bradley.
Anheuser-Busch is part of the AB InBev global family of brewing companies which includes the brewer’s local partners in the Caribbean, CND. Since hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the island, CND has donated nearly 50,000 liters of safe drinking water to Puerto Ricans in need. To date, the CND team has provided 600,000 liters of emergency drinking water to support their friends and neighbors in other regions of the Caribbean. CND has also opened a collection center in its offices and breweries to collect clothing and non-perishable food, and launched a support fund to match donations by local employees.
Anheuser-Busch has a longstanding tradition of pausing beer production to produce clean, safe drinking water for those affected by natural disasters nationwide, including the communities impacted by California’s 2016 wildfires. Most recently, Anheuser-Busch produced and shipped over 1.8 million cans of emergency drinking water to the communities hit by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
ABOUT ANHEUSER-BUSCH
Anheuser-Busch and its employees build on a legacy of corporate social responsibility by focusing on three key areas: promoting alcohol responsibility, preserving and protecting the environment and supporting local communities. In the past three decades, Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers have invested more than $1 billion in preventing drunk driving and underage drinking and promoting responsible retailing and advertising. Anheuser-Busch reduced total water use at its breweries by nearly 50 percent over the last 10 years. To date, Anheuser-Busch and its Foundation have contributed approximately $20 million each year in support of charitable organizations that help in local communities. The company also has provided over 76 million cans of emergency drinking water to people impacted by natural and other disasters since 1988. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch, the leading American brewer, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer. For more information, visit www.anheuserbusch.com.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.