PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Does all water taste the same? This question will be put to the test at a fundraiser for a Portland organization.
Founded in 2020, nonprofit Equitable Giving Circle focuses on economic equity for local Black and Indigenous families.
The organization serves the community by offering housing assistance payments, free markets and delivering boxes of fresh produce to hundreds of families every week.
Co-founder and Executive Director AJ McCreary told KOIN 6 the nonprofit receives a portion of funding from grants and the occasional donor, but leaders have begun hosting monthly fundraisers to continue their work.
With Earth Day on the horizon, the fundraiser on Thursday, Apr. 18 also serves as a water tasting.
“Water is the foundation for so many things,” McCreary said. “Water is important for agriculture. It's important for just sustaining life. It's also a huge topic when you're talking about oppression and what is happening both here locally and globally. A lot of people don't know that Oregon sits on a Superfund site, the Willamette River.”
The Environmental Protection Agency defines these sites as areas that are contaminated with hazardous waste, or otherwise mismanaged. According to Portland Environmental Services, a 10-mile portion of the Willamette River between the Broadway Bridge and the southern end of Sauvie Island was named a Superfund Site back in 2000. The EPA now oversees cleanup at the river.
Equitable Giving Circle’s next event will highlight clean water initiatives, as partners with Goodie's Snack Shop in Old Town will serve about eight different waters from around the globe.
Tickets cost $25 in advance and $30 at the door, this Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“Folks are familiar with beer or wine tastings. People are familiar with cake tastings. Why can't we taste water?” McCreary said.
