During the month of February, hundreds of people cleaned out their closets and emptied their wallets to show some love for the children of Flint, Michigan, who were impacted by high levels of lead in their drinking water.

The Louisville Water Foundation announced a $31,000 donation to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint’s Child Health and Development Fund, created in January to assist children and families impacted by the water crisis. The Louisville Water Foundation, along with WaterStep, MSD and the City of Louisville, spearheaded the fundraising effort called "Show some love for the children of Flint with no strings attached." The effort centered on shoes and dollars.

In February, WaterStep collected thousands of pairs of shoes to raise money for the Flint Love campaign. Typically, WaterStep sells the shoes to an exporter, and uses the proceeds to bring safe drinking water systems around the world. But in February, WaterStep dedicated proceeds for the Flint Love campaign. Throughout the month, students hosted shoe drives at schools, and churches and businesses were collection points. The effort produced thousands of shoes pouring into WaterStep’s office.

On the dollar side, donations came from the Louisville Water Foundation, MSD and a host of partners including civic clubs, engineering firms, businesses and individuals. The Louisville Water Foundation will present the donation to the Flint foundation in the coming days.

Mary Jo Herbig with the Community Foundation of Greater Flint says while the community is still in crisis mode, "the generosity of people around the country is inspiring and overwhelming at times." Herbig says that as of Feb. 28, the Flint Child Health and Development Fund has netted over $2.1 million in donations from 7,802 donors. The donors include people from all 50 states, and across the globe. Currently, a grant-making committee is developing guidelines for administering the assistance.

Louisville Water Foundation, WaterStep, MSD and Louisville Metro developed this fundraising idea after seeing the outpouring of support from the community with donations of bottled water. As "water leaders," Louisville Water, WaterStep and MSD wanted to make a contribution with a lasting impact and at the same time, highlight water's critical importance as a lifeline to a community.

While the local Flint Love campaign has concluded, the public can still contribute to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint's campaign.