When many think of water and wine, usually a biblical reference is the first thing to spring to mind. But, the case of Wine to Water, the concept of improving environmental welfare and the spirit of giving and hope is taken in a completely different direction.

The book Wine to Water is written by Doc Hendley, a small-town bartender turned environmental hero--though that was never his intention. What started out as a simple fundraising effort turned into a passion that has helped bring fresh water to some of the world’s most poverty-stricken communities in Darfur, Cambodia, Uganda and Haiti.

In Wine to Water, Hendley shares the story of how his initial efforts to donate money from a series of wine-tasting events wound up taking him to Darfur, Sudan, changing his life--and the lives of many others--forever.

In Hendley’s travels he discovered the unimaginable cruelty the Janjaweed terrorists were inflicting on the Sudanese people through purposely contaminating community water supplies and wrecking containment units storing fresh drinking water. This government-sponsored terrorism was successfully killing masses of innocent people and his mission became clear.

Still, with a very limited budget, Hendley couldn’t fund building new wells on his own, so instead, he hired local laborers to do the work, not only bring fresh water into the community, but providing work to poor families in need.

The Wine to Water story is simply amazing and really sheds light on how much one soul can mean to many. It’s truly an inspirational read.