Teenagers, organizations come together to deliver water to Jackson residents

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - “We just trying to give back and make sure everybody is straight and have a good time, make sure everybody good who is going through a hard time. That’s why we are going out giving out water to everyone.”

Fourteen-year-old Jamari Robinson and dozens of other teenagers and young adults were going to door handing out cases of free bottled water to elderly and disabled residents.

They are also delivering to residents who are facing other challenges such as transportation.

“In certain neighborhoods, they can’t get to the different places to pick up water or they got gas challenges, vehicle challenges, elderly, handicap so we what we been doing is going street by street handing out water and putting them on porches to make sure everybody gets served,” Pastor Dewayne Pickett of New Jerusalem Church said.

Pastor Pickett partnered with another organization called “HEROES” to make all of this happen.

They transported more than fifteen pallets of water to some west Jackson Neighborhoods.

Willie Williams with the HEROES organization says it’s important to lend a helping hand during these tough times and train youth to also give back.

“It’s important to teach the people behind us and under us. I’m teaching all these youngsters how important it is to help other people, you know open the doors if you are at Walmart seeing people holding up heavy water. It’s just teaching and helping man… if you help one it’s going to help you. Don’t do it for publicity we do it from our heart.”

Residents say they are more than grateful for the free donations during this water crisis.

“This is absolutely amazing and at such a time as this with the water crisis, for someone to think about you and share water with you and share their time with you and to see young people so that is just outstanding.” Jackson resident Michelle Brassfield said.

Organizers say we should continue to focus on fixing Jackson’s water problems once and for all to provide relief to residents.

“This is a forty-five and fifty-year problem. I think we got to fix it once and for all this time and I hope the residents will be patient enough to say you know what, we don’t want a quick fix, let’s do it right so we don’t go through this every other year.” Pickett stated.

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