How would you help?

Residents of East Porterville, Porterville, Seville, and Orange Cove in California's San Joaquin Valley who either have run out of water or who have contaminated wells are asked, “Why don’t you leave?” They reply, “This is my home.” Run Dry seeks to recognize the importance of “home”, a place where generations of families have created a poor but sustainable life until now. Residents face leaving their homes and towns for relocation to urban locations, effectively destroying the fabric of these long-established populations. During the drought, neighbors ran hoses to each other's houses, delivered donated water, provided showers in their homes and set up temporary public hygiene facilities.

Mary Shaffer, This Happens to Real People

community Collaboration

Mary Shaffer's small community of Cameron Creek in California's Central Valley ran out of water in their private, domestic wells. With the unique collaboration of the community, the nearby city of Farmersville, Self-Help Enterprises, and state and federal funding, they were able to connect to the municipal water system. Mary recounts several months of mental and physical hardship while living without water, including the financial, emotional and physical impacts of life without water. 

To be constructed.

To be constructed.