Ember and Forge teamed up with the Erie Downtown Partnership to provide water and cooling resources to those trying to stay cool in the heat.

Rie Witherow, a barista at Ember and Forge and the organizer said, "This may be the first heat wave of the summer, but it's not going to be the last."


Witherow wanted to do something to help people struggling in the heat, so she organized a water and hydration collection to pass out to people in Downtown Erie.
"We are overwhelmed in a positive way with how much folks want to show up and I think that is a wonderful problem to have", said Witherow.


She teamed up with the Erie Downtown Partnership and their ambassadors with safety and hospitality to distribute the water. Dave Tamulonis, the Events and Marketing Manager with the Erie Downtown Partnership said, "They are out there every day and they are making contacts with the folks that are sleeping in downtown and they are very sensitive to the needs of that community so they were perfect to use a ambassador."


Ambassadors said they like being the bridge between the community members and local businesses. Derek Smith, a  Safety and Hospitality Ambassador with the Erie Downtown Partnership said, "People have a positive response to us. A lot of people don't know who we are or what we do, so it's nice that we can talk to people and let them know that if they need anything we can always help them out."


Organizers said this initiative isn't just for people without a home, but it's for the people out in the heat every day. Whether it's the people in construction or out and about. They said it's a small gesture that goes a long way.


"This is obviously not a normal day, so we want to make sure everyone downtown whether it be an Erie Insurance employee or someone working in construction has access to water", said Tamulonis.


It's relationships like these that help the community thrive. "We want to have authentic relationships downtown. We want to have good relationships with our business owners. Our safety ambassadors have great relationships with the folks that live down here, who work down here, so building relationships like that really keep us sensitive to the needs of the population and making sure we can plug in where we can and give resources to the needs of people and help people", explained Tamulonis.

Both organizations are still collecting donations, people can drop off water, hydration and electrolyte packets, cooling towels, wipes, and sunscreen to either Ember and Forge or the Erie Downtown Partnership offices.