Walmart bottled water convoy heading to Flint

Walmart and three of the nation’s largest bottled water suppliers are coming to the aid of Flint, Michigan, residents who lack access to safe drinking water after the municipal water supply became tainted with lead.



Walmart, Coca-Cola, Nestlé and PepsiCo are sending 176 truckloads of water to Flint – roughly 6.5 million bottles – which is an amount estimated to meet the daily needs of more than 10,000 children for the rest of the year.



“At Walmart, we take pride in using our strengths to help communities like Flint during times of crisis, as we’ve done around the world in times of need,” said Dan Bartlett, executive vice president of corporate affairs for Walmart. “We’re working to ensure that the children of Flint, the city’s most vulnerable citizens, have access to safe water.”



Walmart has already donated 14 trucks of water, or 504,000 bottles, and 1,792 water filters to the Flint community since July 2015. Coca-Cola has donated nearly 78,720 bottles of Dasani to local food banks and foundations and to approximately 40 associates living in the affected area. Nestlé Waters North America has already donated five truckloads, or more than 190,000 bottles, to Flint community organizations since October 2015. PepsiCo has donated almost 95,000 bottles of water to Flint and the families of the company’s employees over the past four months.



In addition to the water donation, the companies are encouraging others to support the Flint community by working with Good360, where nonprofits operating in Flint are listing their needs online. Walmart previously helped fund Good360’s disaster recovery platform through a $1 million grant announced on the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Walmart and Sam’s Club will continue serving the community through its stores and clubs, where associates in pharmacies can share basic health tips and offer information on resources available in the community.



“The water crisis is personal to us here in Flint. Those affected include our own associates, customers and their families. Our associates are proud to be a part of the effort to help our friends and neighbors,” said Beth Harris, a store manager at a Walmart in Flint.