Bayside Community Church gives away water ahead of Irma

The struggle to find bottled water in preparation for Hurricane Irma ended for many thanks to the efforts of one local church in Manatee County on Thursday.

Starting at 5 p.m., cars lined up outside Bayside Community Church at the East Bradenton campus, 15800 State Road 64 E., as the church gave away free bottled water.

As soon as Irma’s path set its sights on Florida, Bayside Community Church leaders immediately began to look for ways to help the community prepare, according to Communications Leader Kristin Becnel. The church reached out to local emergency officials and were told the best way to help was for volunteers to rally together, gather supplies and distribute them to those in need in the community.

“So this water distribution happened through a strategic partner, called City Impact, that was able to drive a truck of 26 pallets of water down to our East Bradenton campus,” Becnel said.

As cars pulled up, volunteers along the way asked them to unlock their doors and then other volunteers would load them up with two cases of water each.

Water has flown off store shelves the past few days, with videos on social media showing entire pallets of water cases disappearing in seconds as shoppers grabbed supplies. But outside of Bayside Community Church on Thursday, the line moved quickly and drivers were greeted with signs that said, “We’re happy to see you.”

“These efforts are things that we are going to continue to do post-Hurricane Irma and really do the very best we can to create an opportunity to serve our community and help bring relief and supplies and meet those needs,” Becnel said.

For additional information about Bayside Community Church’s Hurricane Irma relief efforts, visit www.mybayside.church.

This story was originally published September 7, 2017 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Bayside Community Church gives away water ahead of Irma."