Elementary school students in Pike County have started a water collection drive for people who live in Dimock Township.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently providing water to four families but others say they need help.
That's where students from Shohola Elementary School come in.
For roughly the last week, students have been bringing in water jugs on a daily basis.
"People that don't have water can't drink," second grader Andrea Murphy said.
Dimock has become a focal point in the gas drilling debate.
Eleven families say Cabot Oil & Gas contaminated their well water with methane and chemicals. Cabot has strongly denied those claims.
"Since I knew that happened, it has been pretty tough for me to know that they can't drink any water without going to the store and buying it," third grader T.J. Teehan said.
School principal Dr. Peg Schaffer said a parent came up with the water collection idea to help celebrate the 100th day of school.
She says students have done a lot of other community service projects in the past.
Dr. Schaffer says even though the school is collecting water, they're not taking sides in the controversy.
"We just want to help, just like we do on numerous projects throughout the course of the year," Dr. Schaffer said. "It's just about reaching out, one community to another, helping them out and it teaches our children that they have to be civic minded right from elementary school."
For many students, they've taken on the water collection as a personal mission to help their neighbors in need.
"My mother actually helped me. She went around and collected 75 gallons of water," fifth grader Tabitha Brengel said.
The Shohola Elementary School will be open Saturday from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM so that people from the community can help donate water.
All of the water will be picked up by Dimock Township residents on Monday afternoon.
By: Eric Deabill
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