Nutrition Center volunteers collect nearly 600 cases of bottled water for Flint residents

Published 3:00 am Saturday, April 23, 2016

Following the lead of Greater Saint Paul A.M.E. Church, the Troy Nutrition Center embarked on a bottled water project to benefit the people of Flint, Michigan who are dealing with a situation involving contaminated drinking water. Each senior at the center donated a case of bottled water to the project. Through the efforts of Saint Paul and the Troy Nutrition Center more than 700 cases of bottled water has been donated. Pictured from left, Raymond Wheeler, Dorothy Belcher, Chris Owens, Shelia Deveridge, Troy Nutrition Center director, Monica Riley, Saint Paul Social Action Commission chair; Elijah Shafah, Saint Paul pastor; Melay Shafah, Magelene Stringer, Irene Hathaway and William Davis.

Following the lead of Greater Saint Paul A.M.E. Church, the Troy Nutrition Center embarked on a bottled water project to benefit the people of Flint, Michigan who are dealing with a situation involving contaminated drinking water. Each senior at the center donated a case of bottled water to the project. Through the efforts of Saint Paul and the Troy Nutrition Center more than 700 cases of bottled water has been donated. Pictured from left, Raymond Wheeler, Dorothy Belcher, Chris Owens, Shelia Deveridge, Troy Nutrition Center director, Monica Riley, Saint Paul Social Action Commission chair; Elijah Shafah, Saint Paul pastor; Melay Shafah, Magelene Stringer, Irene Hathaway and William Davis.

The senior adults at the Troy Nutrition Center have collected 565 cases of bottled water to be donated to the citizens of Flint, Michigan who are in need of clean, safe drinking water.

Shelia Deveridge, center director, said the water donation project is just one example of the big and caring hearts of the seniors at the Troy Nutrition Center.

“We got the idea for the bottled water project was from Greater Saint Paul A.M.E. Church here in Troy,” Deveridge said. “The church posted on Facebook about the elevated levels of lead in Flint, Michigan’s drinking water and that people are experiencing medical side effects. Saint Paul was collecting cases of water and was encouraging others to do the same.”

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Deveridge approached the seniors at the Troy Nutrition Center with the idea for each senior to donate a case of bottled water.

“We have 50 seniors and that would be 50 cases,” Deveridge said. “They were excited about the opportunity to do something for others. Not only did they donate cases of bottled water, they also told their churches and the organizations they are members of about the project. Bethel Baptist Church, Antioch Baptist Church and the Troy United Women’s League were leaders in supporting the project. We now have 565 cases of water to send to help the people of Flint, Michigan.”

Deveridge said the seniors at the center appreciated the opportunity do something for those in need.

“We thank Pastor Elijah Shafah and Monica Riley and the church’s social action commission for their leadership in the project,” Deveridge said. “We call Pastor Shafah our ‘neighbor angel’ because he visits the center often and watches over us in a spiritual way. Working together, we have collected more than 700 cases of water. We needed 1,333 cases to fill the 18-wheeler that has been donated to transport the water to Michigan.”

Riley, chair of the Saint Paul Social Action Commission, said the water project was a service project for church’s young people.

“The people of Flint, Michigan have been battling the water contamination situation for more than a year,” Riley said. “Forty percent of the people in Flint are below the poverty line so the people there were already in need.”

Riley said donations to the water project may be made at Greater Saint Paul A.M.E Church in Troy, the Troy Nutrition Center and the Troy University SGA Office. Monetary donations to the project made be made online at saintpaultroy.com.

The truck filled with water donated by people of Pike County will leave for Flint, Michigan on May 21.