SALISBURY, Md. -- 'Joining with Jackson' is a donation drive, organized by 50kSouls and YMCA of the Chesapeake to bring clean water to Jackson, Mississippi. The drive began Tuesday, September 6th, and will run until September 25th. Jackson's water system failed, and now thousands are without access to clean water. That's why they're asking the Delmarva community to donate bottles of water.
G. Mandel Copeland, founder of 50kSouls and pastor at United Faith Church in Salisbury, says it's tough to see families in Jackson go through this difficult time.
"It just kind of touches me to know that there is families, that there is a mother that has kids and she's got to create her own treatment center in her kitchen," said Copeland. "She's got to boil water, got to go through all of this, just to get clean water."
Kevin Lindsay of YMCA of the Chesapeake shares in that concern, and says it's a big reason why the YMCA got involved.
"What they're going through, I can't imagine going through that, so why not do something about it, and we[YMCA] have the resources and the capabilities to do that," said Lindsay.
Donations can be dropped off to the United Faith Church in Salisbury or to any of the 11 YMCA locations in the Chesapeake. Those locations range from Cecil County all the way to Chincoteague. Lindsay says if there's a YMCA near you, to please make a donation, because even small donations can make a big difference.
"If you're near a YMCA of the Chesapeake, and you want to donate water, just drop it off there, and we'll figure out the rest," said Lindsay.
Once the drive ends, Pastor Copeland and other members from 50kSouls will be making their way down to Jackson, Mississippi, so they can personally hand out all of the donations they've collected.
The last time these two organizations worked together, they brought three tractor trailers full of supplies to Kentucky in 2021. They're hoping to do it again.