Volunteers, community members help distribute bottled water in Benton Harbor amid lead crisis Residents complained about water in 2018
Boys & Girls Club employee reaching for a case of water to load into a resident’s trunk. (Michigan Department of Health and Human Services)
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – Volunteers and other community members gathered at the Brotherhood of All Nations church in Benton Harbor to distribute water bottles.
This comes as the city of Benton Harbor faces a lead water crisis that is getting national attention. In 2018, people complained about the smell and taste of the water.
Read: Benton Harbor lead crisis forces residents to rely on bottled water
“The community leaders and the volunteers really pulled together ... Bishop James Atterberry from the church, city officials, school board members, and other community members were getting the word out by phone, on social media and in person. Mayor Marcus Muhammad went live on Facebook. Residents supported our efforts by picking up water for their elderly relatives. Our volunteers stayed past the designated 6 p.m. closing time, and by the end of the day every case of water had gone to residents. It was a successful distribution.”
Dashuna Robinson, assistance payments supervisor at the MDHHS office in Berrien County Officials said delivery of water has increased since Wednesday (Oct. 20). From Wednesday through Saturday the health department and other community partners delivered 2,056 cases of water to 545 homes in Benton Harbor.
Water distribution date and location information is available below:
Date Time Location Oct. 26 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Southwest Community Action Agency (331 Miller Street) 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. Abundant Life Church of God (693 Columbus Ave.) 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Ebenezer Baptist Church (214 E. Britain Ave.) Oct. 27 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Southwest Community Action Agency (331 Miller Street) Oct. 28 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Ebenezer Baptist Church (214 E. Britain Ave.) 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Brotherhood of All Nations (1286 Monroe Street) 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Southwest Community Action Agency (331 Miller Street) Oct. 29 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Southwest Community Action Agency (331 Miller Street)
More dates for bottled water pickup will be added and shared online here .
Anyone with questions about lead can contact the MDHHS at 866-691-5323 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Copyright 2021 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.
About the Author Kayla Clarke headshot
Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.
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