Elkhart business donates $20,000 generator system to Church Community Services
ELKHART — Making sure cold food stays cold was a concern for Church Community Services, 907 Oakland Ave., until one local business stepped in to help in a big way.
A service agency, providing food for needy people is a big part of what Church Community Services does in the community. The organization operates a walk-in cooler and freezer, which are used to store meat, dairy and other cold products that local residents, businesses and churches donate to the organization.
Rod Roberson, director of Church Community Services, said the coolers have been susceptible to power outages, which has ruined some donated food in the past.
“We sit in an older area, and when weather events hit, our power goes down quickly and tends to stay down for a longer period of time,” he said. “When we lose food it is disastrous, because there is no way for us to get it back. These are donated items.”
Those concerns were alleviated last week when a local business, Gillette Generators at 2921 Thorne Drive donated a $20,000 40-kilowatt generator system to Church Community Services. The system will power the facility and make sure cold food stays cold during prolonged power outages.
Roberson said the generator is an integral infrastructure piece that will allow the organization to continue to serve the community. Charlie Habic, owner of Gillette Generators, said that the idea to donate the system came to him after a tour of Church Community Services.
“Really just wanted to provide that peace of mind that this system will give CCS,” he said. “This impacts not only CCS, but also Elkhart County families who depend on the food the organization provides.”
