COLUMBUS (WCMH) —  Flint, Michigan remains under a state of emergency as high levels of lead continue to be detected in the city’s drinking water.  There is a tremendous need for fresh water.  Cases of bottle water are being delivered by the truckload from people all over the country.  Central Ohioans are doing their part to help those Flint families who can’t turn on their taps.

Quanice Shumpert is one of the #Columbus4Flint organizers.  She says, “It is extremely bad. They are not able to bathe in the water. They are not able to drink the water.

Shumpert says many of her family members live in Flint. They are not able to do things we take for granted because of their high lead levels in tap water.  She explains, “Little things like washing your hands.  And even trying to take baths. They are bathing with the water bottles and gallons of that nature.”

The #Columbus4Flint water drive is a grassroots movement meant to provide even more aid to this Michigan community. Shumpert says, “All of my people started sharing it on Facebook. You know how social networks and social media kind of explode things, but it’s a great idea.”

More than 1,000 cases of bottled water were collected at Traxler Printing on Silver Dr. in Columbus.  Those cases were transported to Flint this weekend, but Shumpert and others are calling for more donations.

Traxler Printing will again collect cases of bottled water Monday-Friday 8am-6pm.  The address is 3029 Silver Dr. Columbus, OH.  You will receive a free t-shirt when donating one case of bottled water.

Columbus City School students also collected bottled water for Flint, Michigan residents.

South High School student Daivion Greene says, “You have other people helping with the same cause as you. It’s not just you. It takes more than one person to get the movement started.”

The 7^th and 8^th graders collected hundreds of cases of bottled water.  This was part of the service above self initiative.  The group received donations from classmates, alumni, and other Columbus City Schools.

School counselor Lawrence Hamilton III explains, “They can cause change and help out society. These students right here really grasped onto the project. They’ve been going around asking for donations so they’ve taken to it.”

The group’s water was delivered to Flint this weekend.