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Two social media pen pals have found a way to work together to help Detroit residents in need pay off their water bills!

Tech-savvy young ladies Tiffani Bell and Kristy Tillman are doing their part to help some families keep their water on with the Detroit Water Project.

It all started with a conversation about the Detroit water crisis for Tiffani and Kristy. The girls, who originally bonded over their love of technology, had been talking about the situation one night as they each expressed concern for the huge segment of residents that are in danger of losing their water.

As it stands, The Washington Post reports that 91,000 Detroit Water And Sewerage Department (DWSD) customers have fallen months behind on their water bills, and they run the risk of having that utility cut off by the end of the month! That total represents about half of the department’s total accounts, and each customer owed about $540 (on average) as of April 30.

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It occured to Tiffany and Kristi that they might be able to help the Detroit residents that can’t afford to settle the debt themselves.

And so the Detroit Water Project was created. In the matter of one night, Tiffani and Kristy pulled together the information they needed to connect those in need with willing donors.

Hours after this exchange, the pair had launched a website to find people who needed help paying off their water bill. They later added a function for donors to contribute on the site. Tiffani and Kristy did it totally out of concern for the people in Detroit, and neither of them earns a dime from this good deed.

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Customers looking for help with their bill need to fill out a form with their name, address, account number and the amount they DWSD. When a donors send in their e-mail address and their proposed pledge, they get information on how to chip in on a past due bill.

The contribution is completely confidential, and beneficiaries don’t get any information of their donors. So far, about 1,400 people have pitched in for the Detroit Water Project and they’ve been able to make a dent in the number of delinquent accounts

“We’ve been able to completely pay down 16 accounts who owed as much as $600,” she said. “Many donations are in the range of $20-100 with some donations going as high as $2,500.”

The Detroit Water Project encourages people to give whatever they are able to donate, no matter how big or how small. If you’d like to help out, click here!

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Tiffani and Kristy aren’t the only ones making an effort to assist Detroit residents. According to DWSD, the Detroit Residential Water Assistance Program and the Wave Fund are also accepting donations.

USA Today reports that Michigan’s neighbors to the north are taking a different but equally direct approach in the matter. Canadians protesting the water shut off have shipped hundreds of gallons of water to Detroit.

Water rights advocate Maude Barlow is leading the charge to import water because she argues that DWSD’s threat to cut-off the water supply goes against a 2010 United Nations declaration that everyone has a human right to water.

“What that means is that every country in the world is responsible for looking after their most vulnerable people,” said Maude. “It means that every country in the world is not allowed to turn the tap off of water that is already being delivered, and it means that nobody has the right to say no to water for people who cannot afford it.”

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BEAUTIFUL NEWS: Tech-Savvy Ladies Team Up To Chip In With Detroit Water Crisis & You Can Help  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com