Walmart, Beverage-Makers Team Up To Deliver 6.5 Million Bottles Of Water To Flint Schools
FLINT (WWJ) - Millions of bottles of water are headed for delivery at Flint Public Schools, thanks to a partnership between four worldwide companies, as the city deals with a public health emergency caused by lead-tainted water.
Walmart, Coca-Cola, Nestlé and PepsiCo will collectively donate water to meet the daily needs of over 10,000 school children throughout the rest of the year. That translates to 176 truckloads, or up to 6.5 million bottles of water, to help with relief efforts for those affected by the water crisis in Flint.
In addition to the water donation, the companies are encouraging others to support the Flint community by working with Good360, where nonprofits operating in Flint are listing their needs online. Walmart and its suppliers will continue to work closely in the Flint community and are encouraging the public to get involved by visiting www.good360.org/flint to make donations that will go directly to local nonprofits serving the community.
"At Walmart, we take pride in using our strengths to help communities like Flint during times of crisis, as we've done around the world in times of need," Dan Bartlett, executive vice president of Corporate Affairs for Walmart, said in a statement. "We're working to ensure that the children of Flint, the city's most vulnerable citizens, have access to safe water."
Walmart has already donated 14 trucks of water, or 504,000 bottles, and 1,792 water filters to the Flint community since July 2015. Coca-Cola has donated nearly 78,720 bottles of Dasani to local food banks and foundations and to approximately 40 associates living in the affected area. Nestlé Waters North America has already donated five truckloads, or more than 190,000 bottles, to Flint community organizations since October 2015.
"We are grateful for Walmart and their suppliers' support during this crisis," Bilal Tawwab, Flint Community Schools Superintendent, said in a statement. "With their generous support, district students will have access to clean drinking water, and more importantly, the ability to focus on their education."
Flint switched from Detroit's municipal water system while under emergency state management and began drawing from the Flint River in 2014 to save money. But the water wasn't properly treated and it became contaminated with lead. Residents have been urged to use bottled water and to put filters on faucets.