In an effort to inspire other businesses to help out communities in times of need, Toledo, Ohio–Marco’s Pizza donated and delivered 6,000 gallons of water, valued at $6,000, to Flint, Michigan, on Wednesday, January 27. 

The Toledo community experienced its own contaminated water issues in 2014, when an explosive algae bloom on Lake Erie made the water unsafe to drink for two days. When a worse algae bloom was forecast for 2015 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marco’s Pizza bought the 6,000 gallons of water and planned on donating it to the people of Toledo. But, the algae bloom didn’t reach levels high enough to affect the city’s drinking water. When company executives heard about the water situation in Flint, they knew where the gallons of water should go. Marco’s Pizza does not have any restaurants in the immediate Flint area.

“We got lucky last summer by avoiding drinking water contamination, so we’re more than happy to donate the 6,000 gallons of clean water to the people of Flint,” says Bryon Stephens, president and chief operating officer of Marco’s Pizza. “It’s the right thing to do and it resonates with our Slice of the Community program, where we give back to our communities. The situation in Flint is devastating. It doesn’t matter to us that we don’t have a presence there. They need help now.”