Bus Stop Water Project
It all started when…
Our neighbors in the East Texas area, specifically Tyler, are suffering in the summer months. There are hundreds of people using the public transportation system to get around daily and they are waiting for these buses in the hundred degree weather. This can quickly become a health hazard. Many different people from the older to the very young, are waiting upwards of an hour for their bus to arrive at the stop while the Texas heat weighs on them.
This project came about when Worthy Ones founder, Nora Schreiber, witness some young men becoming over heated from their travels from home to work during the Texas summer months. The men explained that while waiting for public transportation and then walking to their destinations, the drink they had brought with them from home would be too warm for relief of the heat before they reached their final stop. This began a conversation, “How can we help you and our other neighbors in the same situation?” There was a solution, an easy one, putting coolers filled with cold water throughout the city would give people multiple chances to refresh themselves.
Since that first year, nine years ago, this project has proven to be a great support system for those riding public transportation or walking in the city of Tyler. Many of the residents that have been able to access these stops with coolers have expressed how grateful they are for this project. For many, this has been the difference between illness from the heat and making it safely to their destination.
This is how we are trying to help. This year, 2021, will be the seventh consecutive year for Worthy Ones to place coolers with cold water at these bus stops for our neighbors. This is a project that directly helps our community members keep safe in the summer months. But, we cannot do it alone.