COLUMBIA (WACH) -- Oscar Gadsden has made it his mission to let no person go thirsty.
“One summer it got so hot, 39 people went to the hospital and they were all homeless because they couldn't find any drinking water,” says Gadsden. “So God put in my heart to bring water out to the people where they were.”
Gadsden is the pastor of Keepin It Real Ministry, and since 2006 he and a few volunteers have been handing out free bottled water at Finlay Park
“He impresses me a lot because he puts his whole life into it, not just a few minutes once a week,” said Columbia resident Jean Denman.
Denmen is a regular visitor to Finlay Park and over time befriended Oscar; on Friday, she donated two cases of bottled water.
Gadsden gives out up to 25 cases of water a day, but with the recent triple digit temperatures his supply is running out.
This summer, according to Gadsden, donations from businesses and individuals have been down by nearly 50 percent. He blames the economy, but he doesn't blame people for needing a cool drink on a hot summer day.
“To make people feel better, I tell them the only thing you have to do, you have to pay for it with a smile,” says Gadsden, “so I get a lot of smiles.”
The free bottled water is distributed seven days a week from sunrise to sunset during the five hottest months of the year.
Although, Gadsden’s service to the public could dry up without help.
If you would like to donate bottled water to the Keepin It Real Ministry, you can drop your donation off with Gadsden or a ministry volunteer near the stage at Finlay Park.
Donations are also accepted at U-haul Storage on the corner of Assembly Street and Elmwood Avenue.
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