Newark Lead Crisis: Rev. Al Sharpton Hands Out Bottled Water

NEWARK, NJ — The Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network (NAN) have joined a wave of donors who are coming together for Newark amid its lead water crisis.

On Sunday, Sharpton and other NAN leaders visited the Brick City, meeting with Mayor Ras Baraka on Hawthorne Avenue. While in the city, Sharpton and the NAN distributed bottled water to local residents, inspiring several social media thank-yous.

After the discovery of elevated levels of lead in thousands of local homes, Newark officials launched a multi-pronged solution to the water woes, which are affecting around 18,000 homes with lead service lines, one of the suspected causes of the contamination.

In the interim, Newark has been distributing free PUR water filters to residents in the affected areas. More than 38,000 filters and cartridges have been distributed to Newark residents since October 2018.

However, earlier this month, city officials also began handing out bottled water for residents in the Pequannock service area after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the filters may not be working as expected.

• See related article: Feds Say Use Bottled Water In Newark, Filters Unreliable
• See related article: No State Of Emergency For Newark, Gov. Murphy Says

Since then, an outpouring of aid has been coming into Newark, including Sharpton’s recent donation.

Two weeks ago, the city announced partnerships with the United Way of Essex and West Hudson and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey to create an online water fund and to coordinate bottled water donations to support Newark families.

Anyone interested in supporting Newark families in the Pequannock service area who have lead service lines may do the following:

• Make an online gift toward purchasing bottled water at https://uwewh.org/water/ (100% of online gifts will go towards purchasing bottled water)
• Make donations to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, located at 31 Evans Terminal in Hillside

University Hospital offered free lead screenings on Aug. 17 and 24 for adults and children concerned about their health.

The hospital is also providing patients who are discharged from the hospital to a home supplied by the Pequannock water treatment plant with a “starter kit” including bottled water and instructions on how to get more water from the City of Newark.

• See related article: Free Lead Screenings At Newark Hospital Amid Health Worries

The city recently began partnering with rideshare company Uber to give free lifts to and from four bottled water distribution sites in Newark.

Newark residents can use the code “NWK20” to receive their free rides.

Another company, ZeroWater, is offering to provide free water filters and pitchers to affected Newark residents. The company has handed out filters to other U.S. cities with lead contamination issues via its community outreach program.

Find out more about the program or donate matching funds.

The relief effort isn’t limited to the city’s borders. In conjunction with Assemblyman Jamel Holley, the Westfield Neighborhood Council recently organized a bottled water donation drive to benefit Newark residents.

• See related article: Donate Bottled Water For Newark At Westfield Neighborhood Council

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