COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Rapid Shelter Columbia now has new water stations, providing temporary residents with an easier way to stay hydrated.

With temperatures here hotter again, temporary resident Deborah Bell says the new cold water stations are very welcome.

“Yes! It helped me when it got really hot. And yes, it will help many other Rapid Shelter people who come after me. It will really do wonders for us,” she says.

The fountains and reusable bottles are a joint project between the Ritedose Corporation and the American Heart Association.

“It feels phenomenal, that’s what we’re all about. Right? I said in my introductory speech a while back that blessed people bless other people and blessed organizations bless the community. That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it? When you look around society, you see so many people who are either forgotten or undervalued that we need to help them,” says Jody Chastain, CEO of Ritedose.

Managers said the home purchased up to 40 cases of bottled water each week, but residents often drank room temperature water due to lack of refrigerator space.

Both the men’s and women’s sides of Rapid Shelter now have a cold water station and one indoors that can provide hot water for making beverages and soups during the colder months.

The new measure is intended to ensure both sustainability for the staff and comfort for all those housed there.

“We celebrate the provision of a need that is so basic to us and something we take for granted every day. That is access to fresh, cool, clean water,” said Lizzie Tankersley, executive director of the Midlands American Heart Association.

“I’ve been here for 10 months now. They’re looking for housing for me. I’m close to getting one. So, yes, they’re helping me with everything. With my driver’s license, my social security, I mean everything. It’s wonderful. It’s given me a second chance at life. I was down and they brought me back up,” Bell says.

About 40 men and 10 women spend the night in Rapid Shelter’s pallets all year round.