A Bucks County water filter company is stepping up to help residents living through the lead-poisoning crisis in Flint, Michigan.
ZeroWater of Bensalem has set up a webpage where customers can buy water filters and ship them directly to the United Way of Genesee County, which has been giving out supplies to Flint residents daily. To double the impact, the company will match each donation, filter for filter.
Flint's water supply became toxic after the city started pumping from a river whose water was so corrosive that it weakened old pipes. Lead started to leach out of the pipes as a result, but it took two and a half years for residents to learn that they were drinking poisoned water.
"Given that we are a small company, we are trying to do as much as we can," said Tony Petruzzi, ZeroWater's Marketing Manager.
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The company has been aware of the issue for some time, having donated filters to Flint back in October. This time, it wanted to find a way to get more people and companies outside of Michigan involved.
"In addition to giving products out to the residents, we wanted to involve the community, the nation — really anybody in Flint, outside of Flint; inside the country, outside the country ... let's work together on this," said Petruzzi.
ZeroWater's filters and pitchers are NSF-certified and FlintWaterInfo.com put them on its list of effective lead filters. Costs start at $15 for a filter or $20 for a six-cup pitcher, and the company will cover all shipping charges. Individuals, corporations and organizations can all donate.
Alternatively, you can donate directly to United Way's Flint Water Fund here. One hundred percent of the donation will be used for buying filters and bottled water, emergency support and prevention services.