Rite Aid donates 15,000 cases of water following W.Va., chemical spill

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid's philanthropic arm will donate water for areas of West Virginia affected by a recent chemical spill, the retail pharmacy chain said Saturday.

The Rite Aid Foundation announced the donation of 15,000 cases of water to the American Red Cross West Virginia Region to assist communities around Charleston, W.Va., currently under a water ban resulting from a chemical spill that contaminated the area's water supply, affecting about 300,000 people in a nine-county area.

"One of Rite Aid's core values is to be a caring neighbor, and that's especially true in times of need," Rite Aid president and COO Ken Martindale, who is also president of the Rite Aid Foundation, said. "Clean water is crucial for many everyday activities as well as the health and wellness of a community. It's our hope that our donation will help make life a little bit safer and easier for the people affected by the water ban."

The Associated Press reported Monday that residents of affected areas were still having to use bottled water to wash, cook and brush their teeth, but that officials had said the ban on using tap water would soon be lifted, and that levels had fallen below a dangerous threshold over the weekend. The chemical, known as 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, has a licorice-like smell and is used in coal processing.