More than 5,000 bottles of Sportwater are headed to communities across the Hudson Valley and beyond as Brooklyn Bottling of Milton continues its support of the Regional Food Bank.

The family-owned beverage company is donating more than 5,000 bottles of its Sportwater sports drink to the Regional Food Bank. The donation, valued at approximately $7,500 based on the product’s retail price, was scheduled for pickup from Brooklyn Bottling’s warehouse in Marlboro.

Matthew Wynkoop, senior manager of food industry partnerships for the Regional Food Bank, said the contribution will help the organization provide more variety to people experiencing food insecurity.

“The donation itself is very helpful,” Wynkoop said. “We have a longstanding relationship with Brooklyn Bottling, dating back all the way to 2010. So they’ve been a donor of ours for a while.”

The Regional Food Bank works with more than 1,000 agency partners throughout its service area, including food pantries, soup kitchens and other organizations serving people facing food insecurity. Those partners can order available products from the food bank based on the needs of the communities they serve.

Wynkoop said the donated Sportwater will become part of that inventory and ultimately make its way to people throughout the food bank’s service area.

“Our agency partners have the ability to order from our inventory based on the needs of their populations that they’re serving,” Wynkoop said. “We’ll be able to distribute the sports drinks out to folks within their community who need that.”

For Brooklyn Bottling, the donation also offers a way to put usable products into the hands of people who can benefit from them rather than allowing the beverages to go to waste.

Jeff Lanier, senior marketing manager for Brooklyn Bottling, said the company recently launched Sportwater and made changes to its packaging and formulation, leaving it with product that would not be part of the commercial rollout but remained suitable for consumption.

“Instead of having it not be used, we thought, ‘There’s an opportunity here for us to donate this to a worthwhile cause,’” Lanier said.

Lanier said finding charitable uses for products is something Brooklyn Bottling has done when circumstances arise, such as packaging changes, discontinued flavors or excess inventory.

“It’s how we can use that in a manner that impacts people and gives those in need an opportunity,” he said.

The donation comes as food banks continue to see significant need in the communities they serve. Wynkoop pointed to Ulster County, where Brooklyn Bottling is located, as an example. He said approximately 13.2% of the county’s population experiences food insecurity, roughly one in eight people.

Wynkoop said the need for assistance has increased as families contend with higher everyday expenses.

“Certainly, the cost of living would be associated with the rise in need,” Wynkoop said. “More folks have become food insecure because it’s harder to pay bills.”

Food insecurity, he added, is often only one part of the financial strain households face, with expenses such as rent and gasoline competing for limited resources.

Those circumstances make partnerships with local companies especially important to the food bank’s work.

“We would not be able to do what we do here at the food bank without donations from local businesses,” Wynkoop said. “It’s quite moving to see all these local businesses and folks throughout the community who are so willing to give of their products and of their time to help us drive our mission forward.”

Although the food bank purchases some products, Wynkoop said donated goods make it easier for the organization to get more food and beverages to people in need.

Lanier said community involvement is particularly important to Brooklyn Bottling because of the company’s local, family-owned roots.

“We are a family-owned business and in the area, so we’re not a global conglomerate half a world away,” Lanier said. “We are in this community and we try to be a good neighbor, and we want everyone in the neighborhood and the area to flourish.”

He said the company also hopes publicizing the donation will encourage other businesses, including beverage manufacturers, to consider what products or resources they could contribute.

Brooklyn Bottling has participated in charitable initiatives and food bank donations for over 10 years, according to Wynkoop.

The Regional Food Bank accepts a wide variety of donations. Wynkoop said the organization tries to prioritize nutritious foods and beverages but can handle both perishable and nonperishable products because of its freezer and cooler capacity. It can also distribute household essentials.

Product donations are only one way community members and businesses can help.

“One of the best ways that folks can support us is by volunteering,” Wynkoop said.

Volunteers perform jobs including sorting incoming products to determine which donations can be distributed. The organization offers volunteer shifts at its facilities, and financial contributions also support its mission.

Wynkoop said food insecurity can affect people from many backgrounds, and one aspect of the issue he hopes the public keeps in mind is its impact on children.

“There are so many children that unfortunately have to face the reality of food insecurity, not knowing where their next meal is coming from,” Wynkoop said. “Kids, I mean, they deserve to be fed.”

For the food bank, donations such as Brooklyn Bottling’s provide not only additional inventory but also more choices for the people relying on its network.

“What we want to be able to offer our neighbors is variety,” Wynkoop said. “We want to be able to have different products that folks can enjoy and order and use.”

He encouraged other businesses with products to spare to consider reaching out to the food bank.

“Having a company like Brooklyn Bottling, who whenever they have the opportunity to donate, they reach out, is really important,” Wynkoop said.