Volunteers Distribute Bottled Water to Gary Residents Facing Tap Water Problems

Volunteers fanned out across Gary on Thursday to hand bottled water directly to residents who have been contending with intermittent tap water problems, running a several-hour distribution drive that saw cases of water unloaded and put into the hands of people who needed it.

Katie Mowry, who represents the regional non-profit Appalachian Voices, was among those who showed up for the March 12 drive. The organization, which works on improving air quality, water access, and economic conditions across Appalachia, recently opened its first office in Charleston. When word reached Appalachian Voices about the water quality issues in McDowell County, Mowry said the group felt it had no choice but to respond.

"We're also trying to work on more long-term solutions. But currently being able to directly fix the root cause of the problem, provide people with clean and consistent water has been really great," Mowry said.

Each volunteer at the Gary drive came with their own reasons for advocating for safe drinking water in McDowell County, and the effort drew people willing to spend hours unloading and distributing supplies. The drive was coordinated specifically to address the gap left by ongoing tap water unreliability in the small southern West Virginia town.

Mowry said she intends to return to Gary and continue helping however she can, a signal that Appalachian Voices views its involvement in McDowell County as more than a single-day effort. The organization's stated focus on long-term solutions suggests the bottled water drive, while immediately necessary, is only one part of what the group hopes to accomplish here.