Local residents are encouraged to beat the heat on Saturday by donating bottled water at local Firehouse Subs restaurants. In exchange, they will receive a free medium sub.

The fourth annual H2O for Heroes event will collect cases of water to be distributed to local fire departments and public safety organizations. Those entities, in turn, distribute them to children, elderly and others in need of water during the scorching summer months.

The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, formed in 2005, handles the company’s charitable work, which also benefits from restaurants selling their leftover five-gallon pickle buckets as well as collecting spare change and allowing guests to “round up” their bill.

Cases of water donated must contain 24 bottles, and each case will gain the donator one medium sub. No purchase is necessary.