Little Miss Flint launches GoFundMe to support families during Jackson, MS water crisis

Fantasia Harvey, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·3 min read
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Little Miss Flint, Mari Copeny has launched a GoFundMe to help raise money for the citizens of Jackson and provide them with bottled water.

For months, the capital of Mississippi has been in a water crisis, causing the city of Jackson to be thrown into the national spotlight as water treatment plants fail.

As of Wednesday morning, more than 150,000 people in Jackson were without consistent safe drinking water.

Jackson Mississippi's sewer and water system have been an ongoing issue for years but now it needs to be tackled head-on. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for the community a day after Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves called one.

"When Flint hit headline news, hundreds of people donated to help us get bottled water, which was a lifeline for many people," says Copeny on the GoFundMe page. " I want to pay it forward to another community dealing with a real-life nightmare that my community has faced for years."

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A post shared by Mari Copeny (@littlemissflint)

Support Jackson residents:150,000 in Jackson, Mississippi are without safe drinking water. Here's how you can help.

Related:Gov. Tate Reeves provides an update on Jackson, MS water crisis

For decades, Jackson has been dealing with an outdated and failing water system. The Clarion Ledger highlighted issues of boil advisories, flooding into the Pearl River, a fire and the finding of lead in the community's water.

In the next couple of weeks, Little Miss Flint will be heading to Jackson to give out bottled water. The first goal for GoFundMe was $3,000 that goal has been surpassed, and the new goal is $15,000. So far 112 people have donated.

Copeny tweeted, "And I’ve been screaming about water issues here in America for years. Nobody listened, here we are again."

Donate water to Jackson, Mississippi

Twin Forks Rising, a nonprofit community development corporation based in Hattiesburg, is organizing the drive, said Deborah Delgado, one of the organizers. Bottled water of any size will be accepted beginning Sept. 1.

Drop-offs may be made at Twin Forks, 601 East Pine St., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The drive will resume again Monday and will continue on weekdays until they are no longer is a need.

Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons announced water drive through Sept. 15 in Greenville to ship bottled water to the capital city. Water may be dropped off at Greenville fire stations 1, 2, and 5, 532 Central St., 623 East Union St., and 2337 East Alexander St.

If you or your organization are able to deliver pallets of water, contact local cooperative Cooperation Jackson at cooperationJackson@gmail.com to coordinate or call (601) 355-7224.

Taylor Worsham contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Little Miss Flint launches GoFundMe to support Jackson, MS