FLINT, MI -- Clean, reliable water was all it took.
Hundreds of people gathered outside a title office downtown Flint to pick up cases of donated bottled water.
Oliver Lewis said the water coming out of his faucet at home smells like bleach and upsets his stomach.
"I love Flint, but they're treating us like dirt," the 53-year-old Flint man said.
Flint water customers were notified at the start of January that the city was in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act because of excess trihalomethane in the water supply during testing in 2014. The chemical is a byproduct of chlorine used to sanitize the water.
Although city and state Department of Environmental Quality have said the city's water is safe to drink, warnings sent to customers said those with severely compromised immune systems, who have an infant or who are elderly that they could be at increased health risk and should seek advice about drinking water from a health care provider.
Residents have also complained about the appearance, smell and taste of city water.
A semi-truck filled with cases of water was donated by Absopure Water Corp. and picked up from their location in Plymouth. The company's officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Mike Sargent, owner of Sargent Title Co., facilitated the donation effort at his Flint office. The afternoon donation was part of multiple collection and donation efforts Jan. 28, which also involved both Flint Strong, a Facebook group promoting positive news about Flint, and the East Central Association of Realtors.
Between morning and afternoon donation events Wednesday, about 2,000 cases of bottled water were handed out, Sargent said.
"I was really shocked by how many people came out for water," Sargent said.
Ray Lopez said his water looks clean, but he can't be sure.
"I say have the big shots drink it for about a month," he said.
Lopez said his 8-year-old granddaughter took a bath at his house recently and developed a rash.
"I think maybe the pipes are bad somehow," he said.