AgeWell Services of West Michigan discovered Tuesday morning that a malfunction in their freezer was about to cause a big problem for them and the many people who rely on their free food delivery service.
“All of that frozen food was at room temperature for greater than 48 hours and so it ultimately spoiled which is why we had to throw it away.”
Advancement Director Jennifer Drury says that, while most of the food spoilage will be covered by insurance, there is a deductible, and the freezer diagnosis and repair will still need to be paid for out-of-pocket.
“We serve over 1,600 meals a day, Monday through Friday, in Muskegon, Oceana and Ottawa Counties and so, knowing the impact that this has, it’s a lot of food. And so, it was just a complete shock.”
While food service had to be cancelled for Tuesday and Wednesday, AgeWell was able to begin delivering more shelf-stable meals on Thursday, thanks to having an emergency plan in place for these types of situations. Drury says the support from the community so far has been appreciated.
“It makes us very humbled and very grateful for the community outpouring of support that we’ve been receiving so far.”
If you would like to make a monetary donation, you can do so at AgeWellServices.org.