Hauling water from Wilmington to Flint (video)

(photo courtesy of Ta'Tra Bradshaw-Brown)

(photo courtesy of Ta'Tra Bradshaw-Brown)

A group of family and friends from Wilmington are traveling a great distance to help some people in need of a major necessity.

The owners of Sepia Cleaners in Southbridge, Del. are collecting cases of water to donate to Flint, Michigan.

Just imagine not being able to drink, bathe or cook because the water treatment plant in your area is faulty and not filtering out contaminated water. How do you adjust? That’s exactly what’s going on in Flint but Denise Bradshaw, her daughter, Ta’Tra Bradshaw-Brown, and others are doing their part to help.

In January, a state of emergency was declared in the city of Flint. As a result of problems with the city’s water treatment plant, the water was found to be contaminated with lead.

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That crisis prompted an outpouring of support and donations of more than a hundred cases of water in the month of February at Sepia Cleaners.

“We shouldn’t take water for granted at all,” said Bradshaw who challenges others to count their blessings.

Just last week, mother and daughter were accompanied by friends during their trip to Flint, as they hauled at least a hundred cases of water there and personally delivered it to families.

Brown even documented the trip on video. A Flint woman described the unusual living conditions while holding her newborn granddaughter.”The actual situation can get you depressed. You got to watch what you do. You use bottle water to brush your teeth, clean yourself, cook and wash your meat, and vegetables,” said the woman who isn’t identified in the video.

To date, volunteers across the country, even celebrities, have come together to support the people of Flint. However, one troubling fact still lingers for Brown, the fact that this problem won’t be fixed overnight.

“When we were bringing in the water into the people’s homes, you could see water bottles everywhere, jugs, baby wipes, everywhere because that’s their reality every day,” Brown said.

In April, Brown, along with family and friends, plans to make another trip to Flint to deliver more cases of water.

For the full story, tune in to tonight to First at 5:30pm and again at 11:00pm

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