In 2007, Bear Creek Community Church wanted to make more of a global impact. But we were in a recession. What was the least we could ask of people that would accomplish the most?

We learned that three children died every minute from the lack of clean drinking water. We decided that was our “most”. The very least we could ask people was something that they throw away but still had some value.

On April 19, 2009, we launched Bear Creek Water, a program that recycles plastic bottles and aluminum cans with a California Recycling Value and invests the money in clean water wells to save the lives of children all over the world. We partner with Living Water International because they do more than just drill wells–they teach hygiene and share the gospel. They also allow us to select the projects we fund—that is important to us because we want people to feel ownership of their impact.