The contaminated water crisis in Flint, Mich., has spurred the local nonprofit community into action, both tailoring programming to the new needs of the city and managing donations from across the country.
Local organizations’ involvement in the crisis dates back to the fall, according to Jamie Gaskin, CEO of the United Way of Genesee County, when the local medical community confirmed significant amounts of lead in the city’s tap water. Questions concerning the quality of the city’s tap water dated back to the spring of 2014, according to multiple reports, when the city switched its water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) to the Flint River.