Jaden Smith back in Flint for his company's launch of the Water Box

FLINT, Mich. (FOX 2) - Jaden Smith was in Flint this weekend for the launch of his company’s new water filtration system, The Water Box. 

Smith returned to Flint with his mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, to help introduce the new portable water filtration system.

“I’m really excited, Love Flint. I’m so excited for the water bottles,” he said. Flint’s Mayor says the Smiths have been committed to the city. 

"I remember when I met Jada Pinkett Smith and she said, 'We are not going to forget about Flint', that was right after we declared the emergency, and they haven't," Mayor Weaver said. 

The launch of The Water Box was held at First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church which has been working on the project with several organizations, including Jaden’s ecofriendly group called JUST.

A co-founder of the group says they wanted to partner with First Trinity because of the Church’s water distribution efforts and the fact that bottled water donations have been dropping.

"So, we said, 'That's what we want to do.' We want to create a system that can create purified water, and that can replace those bottled waters and that can work at a much faster rate," co-founder Drew Fitzgerald said.

"This particular water solution now opens a whole other level of us trying to reach the community, because now we don't have an excuse to turn people away," Rev. Ezra Tillman said.  

The Water Box goes through four stages of filtration to reduce potential contaminants like metals and bacteria. 

"Instead of the first thing they think of is how do we get truckloads of water donated that we can hand out. That may be a temporary measure, but they think: how do we get a Water Box and solve the problem ourselves and test the water ourselves," Jaron Rothkop said, President of the Last Kilometer.

Mayor Weaver agrees. 

"But we're looking at sustainable answers and we're looking at technology and how we can make things better," she said.

Jada Pinkett Smith also announced during their visit that she’ll donate money for a second water box. 

"I think it will help, because you can get your own jug. Get a gallon. Any empty bottle will do," resident Henry Flowers said. 

The church says people can bring jugs and collect water from the system on Thursdays from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.