Budweiser water coming to help Texans

ST. LOUIS (KXAN) - There’s a need for drinking water in areas of Texas affected by wildfires, and Anheuser-Busch is contributing to the relief effort. The brewer is providing 2,940 cases of drinking water — or 70,560 cans — for use by residents affected by wildfires that have resulted from the severe drought.

A truck loaded with water left the company’s brewery in Cartersville, Ga., Tuesday and is scheduled to arrive Thursday at the Budweiser wholesaler in Austin, Brown Distributing , 8711 Johnny Morris Road.

A second shipment will be sent to Silver Eagle Distributors in Cypress, 8660 N. Eldridge Parkway, arriving later this week.

Both wholesalers will work with relief organizations to get the water where it is needed.

“People in Texas are in need of fresh drinking water, and this is one way Anheuser-Busch and our local wholesalers can help,” said Peter Kraemer, vice president of supply for Anheuser-Busch .

In April the brewer sent more than 100,000 cans of water to West Central Texas to areas affected by wildfires, and last week the company sent more than 400,000 cans to assist with some of the hardest hit areas of the East Coast affected by Hurricane Irene. Anheuser-Busch has donated more than 1.7 million cans of water for U.S. disaster relief this year. Since 1988, Anheuser-Busch has donated more than 70 million cans of drinking water following natural and other disasters.