KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Walk for Water event was held in Tennessee to address the current global water crisis.

Water Mission, a nonprofit, hosted the event at Lakeshore Park. Volunteers gathered and walked three miles while carrying buckets in an effort to highlight the issues some people face with a limited amount of clean water supply.

Tory Kinson is a volunteer with the organization.

“I was looking at nonprofits to work for for a while and I wanted one that I knew everything gets to the people that it’s meant for and water mission is one of those types of organizations,” Kinson said.

He said the problem the nonprofit addresses is often overlooked.

“What’s your biggest problem on a given morning? It’s maybe, ‘Will I get the kids to school on time?’ or ‘Is there going to be coffee for the coffee maker?’ For 2.2 million people it’s, ‘Will I have clean water that won’t make my family sick?'” Kinson said. “So this is a cause, for every $50 we can collect we give someone clean purified water for life.”

Water Mission is a South Carolina-based nonprofit that has volunteers around the country. Deirdre Martin with Water Mission said the event highlights the struggles people go through for access to water.

“The purpose of the Walk for Water is to kind of give people a hands-on experience of what it’s like for millions of women and children, primarily, around the world. They have to carry their water, walk three miles a day to collect water. It’s typically dirty and will make them sick, but that’s all they have.”

Martin said there are two goals for the walk.

“So, we’re just trying to give people an awareness, so we want to raise awareness about the global water crisis, and raise funds to help solve it.”

The event featured a welcome from Senator Becky Duncan Massey and local businesses as sponsors, including the company Aqua-Chem.

“It’s one of those great things that we do where our employee base really gets behind what were doing and really support the cause that we champion around the world. When it relates to water and what we’re passionate about it’s really easy to champion that cause,” said Shane Dewitt, CEO of Aqua-Chem.

Water Mission raised more than $20,000 and registered 115 walkers ahead of the event.