TEMPE, ARIZONA — Movement Mortgage, a top 10 national retail mortgage lender, has collected more than 1 million bottles of water for the homeless since its annual water drive began in 2014, the company announced at a pep rally on Friday.

The annual Movement Water Drive is led by employees at its Tempe Sales Support Center. In 2018, the team tallied 393,115 bottles of water for the Phoenix Rescue Mission, bringing the overall total since the initiative started to 1,182,640 bottles of water.

In addition, the nonprofit Movement Foundation matched the employee donations with a $150,000 grant to support the rescue mission's operations. Movement Foundation has donated more than $450,000 to the rescue mission since 2014.

The annual effort is part of the Code:Red initiative, a summer campaign at the Phoenix Rescue Mission to bring water and aid to the homeless suffering in the desert's triple-digit heat. Last year, Arizona saw more heat-related deaths than any year prior, with 155 deaths. Unfortunately, Arizona is one of the worst states in the nation for homelessness, with thousands of people forced to endure the blistering heat every single day during these hot summer months. But the rescue mission's Hope Coach van takes to the streets daily to distribute water and offer assistance to those suffering in the heat.

Movement Mortgage is the most significant corporate partner of the Code:Red initiative.

"One million bottles of water is just the beginning. Those bottles of water represent 1 million interactions that can be had with people in need, offering them hope," says Kay Hamilton, Movement Mortgage vice president and Tempe operations campus director. "We believe this is what it can look like when a company cares about its community — it loves people who are in need and partners with organizations like the Phoenix Rescue Mission to spark change."

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About Movement Mortgage

Movement Mortgage exists to love and value people by leading a Movement of Change in its industry, corporate culture and communities. Movement funded approximately $13 billion in residential mortgages in 2017 and is the seventh-largest retail mortgage lender in the U.S. Movement is best known for its innovative mortgage process and referable experience, which begins with Upfront Underwriting and a seven-day loan processing goal. The company employs more than 4,000 people, has more than 750 branches in the U.S. and is licensed in 49 states. Its nonprofit organization, the Movement Foundation, has reinvested more than $37 million in communities to date. For more information, visit www.movement.com.