As temperatures in Idaho are reaching record levels, one mutual aid group in Boise is helping get cold water to vulnerable populations.
Just outside Rhodes Skate Park in downtown Boise, volunteers of Boise Mutual Aid are calling out numbers that have been written on sticky-notes. They’re trying to avoid lines as they distribute food, water and camping gear.
Jennifer Partee is here to grab water and a bite to eat. She works at Corpus Christi House part time. She also lives out of her truck.
“It's a struggle,” she said. “And so being able to come here and get water – they usually will give you as many as you can take – that's huge, it's huge.”
This group is a resource for her and roughly 50 to 100 others every week near the skate park.
Water and other resources are available through other aid organizations, but it’s often hard to get water without having to pay for it.
Jodi Peterson, Director of the Interfaith Sanctuary, said the more people helping out, the better. Especially now in this heat wave.
“There’s an awful lot of new homeless,” she said.
Peterson says this relatively new aid group is another link in the network of resources for people to access care.
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