Ferguson associates lend a hand in Flint

Teamwork makes the dream work. It’s a mantra we all live by at Ferguson. It’s why associates in the Detroit, Michigan area went the extra mile to help their neighbors in Flint, who are struggling with contaminated water, including the thousands of children exposed to lead and potentially devastating health issues.

It all started with donating water to the American Red Cross, Ferguson’s disaster relief partner.

“Flint is only about an hour from where we live,” explained Andrew Sunstrum, who volunteered to make the roughly 50-mile journey north to deliver the clean drinking water. “We were more than happy to help our neighbors, because it was the right thing to do.”

Ferguson is working alongside the Red Cross and many other organizations pitching in to help. While the residents wait for the repairs to the water infrastructure, the state of Michigan is providing water filters to its citizens. However, the provided filters won’t work with outdated faucets.

This is where Great Lakes District Manager Casey Bradley got involved. Bradley was contacted by Flint’s Plumber Pipefitter Union Local 370 and asked to donate faucets for citizens who weren’t able to use the filters or purchase a new faucet.

“Our building is functioning more like a warehouse than a training center,” said Kevin Gaby, Training Coordinator for the Plumbers Local 370. “Our members are loading up their vehicles in the morning with cases of water, filters and new faucets to deliver and install for the residents of Flint. The effort has been ongoing since October. Everyone is giving of their own time and resources – it’s amazing to see the team effort. And volunteers are overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude from the community. None of this would be possible without the generous donation of fixtures for us to install. I want to thank Ferguson for its generosity from all of us at UA Local 370, and on behalf of the residents of Flint -- thank you.”

Ferguson came through in the clutch, donating 210 kitchen faucets through a team effort. Sunstrum once again stepped up and volunteered to make the delivery to Flint on a very cold and snowy morning, ensuring the faucets would arrive as soon as possible.

"I'm glad the Flint Plumber Pipefitter Union Local 370 reached out to us, and we were able to support their effort,” explained Casey. “A lot of great plumbers are going door-to-door installing filters and helping the community on their own time. This is a real natural disaster, in the scope of a tornado, hurricane or earthquake. It's going to be a long journey to recover, but help is pouring in from all directions."

The faucets were delivered to Flint and are already being put to good use. Associates in Detroit proved why Ferguson associates are the true meaning of Ferguson Cares.