In response to the late summer heat, the Black Women’s Task Force organized an
event that focused on distributing hydration kits to people through the Carbondale
Warming Center on Aug. 30 in the Student Center. “Since our main mission is
to build sisterhood through community service,” Janiyah Gaston said, “we’re just
coming together on Friday to put together these hydration kits for the Carbondale
Warming Center.”
The kits consisted of a reusable water bottle, bottled water, sunscreen, Liquid IV
electrolyte packets, wet wipes and toothpaste. All of the items were donated by
members of the Black Women’s Task Force.
As Gaston said, Carbondale Warming Center does a lot for the community. “There
aren’t really a lot of places to go in carbondale from what I’ve seen,” Gaston said. In
light of this, the hydration kits were a way of giving back to the community. Gaston
said, “These bags are really just a way to say, ‘Hey, here’s a water bottle and some other
little goodies to help you to stay somewhat cool… while we’re dealing with this hot
weather…’”
The Black Women’s Task Force was founded 20 years ago, Gaston said, and they are
continuing to expand the avenues through which they volunteer. In addition to their
volunteer work, Gaston said that the group plans to host social events for its members
to create a space for black women in SIU to be their authentic self.

Advertisement

Advertisement*

Advertisement