The recent events in Flint are heartbreaking – not being able to trust what comes out of your faucet in your home is a travesty. The effects of lead exposure are devastating, reducing brain function, causing memory loss and a host of other physical ailments. Lead poisoning can even be passed to future generations, meaning exposure in 2016 can lead to issues for decades to come.

When we see a need in our community, we feel a pull on our heart to help. Regardless of who is at fault, there are families being exposed to poison on a daily basis, in our own backyard. This is unacceptable and needs to change. We are especially hurt by watching our neighbors suffer and our State’s national reputation for beautiful, clean water tarnished.

We decided to pitch in where we can and help out however possible.

We know that clean water is essential for survival, so last Thursday morning, we loaded up here at our home office in Ferndale, with 3 pallets of bottled water, which includes 5,760 bottles of water. This was a heavy shipment, weighing over 6,300 lbs in water alone, which is about the equivalent weight of an Asian elephant! Our staff headed on up I-75 to drop the water off at a church in Flint. This water will be distributed to Flint residents in their homes on an on-going basis, giving them a free alternative to the municipal water supply.

We know that bottled water does not completely solve the issue, but it is something that we, here at Pro Home Improvement, can do right now to help.

If you’d like to help out with whatever amount possible, please consider giving to the United Way of Genesee County. The United Way of Genesee County has set up a Flint Water Fund to help purchase filters, bottled water and emergency support services. They are giving 100% of the proceeds to this fund for these projects – absolutely no overhead or administrative fees are withdrawn from your donations.

Currently they have sent more than 11,000 filtering systems, 5,000 replacement filters and helped send bottled water to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, in addition to providing a driver to distribute these supplies daily.

Please consider helping out in whatever way possible. Thank you!