Food bank needs help after freezer breaks
LANCASTER TWP — Sharon Klaiber entered the walk-in freezer in the basement of Zion Lutheran Church, where all the meat and prepared meals for the Southwest Butler County Food Cupboard are neatly stored, Wednesday and immediately knew something was wrong.
“I was like, 'Oh my God, it feels like Florida in here,'” said Klaiber, executive director of the food cupboard, “and it smelled really bad.”
When she noticed that the interior thermometer read 68 degrees, she knew the 28 turkeys, 350 pounds of prepared meals and 160 pounds of other meat would have to go in the garbage.
“We had beautiful, huge pork loins that were probably $10 apiece,” said a sad and frustrated Klaiber.
She estimates the loss was at least $1,500.
Klaiber summoned a repairman Wednesday evening and a small leak was found to have drained all of the unit's refrigerant.
“He repaired it as best he could, but it's not working,” Klaiber said Friday morning. “It's still reading at 35 degrees, which is not freezing.”
She called the repairman back and hoped to get an idea whether the compressor or the whole freezer will need to be replaced.
“It's a big hit and a loss for us,” Klaiber said. “We are a small food pantry and our families are already trying to stretch their dollars, and if they have to go out and buy food that we usually provide for them, it's really going to hurt their budget, especially at this time of year.”
She said the next distribution is Dec. 17.
“I don't know that we'll be able to get out any meats this month,” Klaiber said.
The food cupboard also has a Wish Tree hung with tags containing 250 Christmas wishes of needy children. The toys, clothes and other items purchased by community members who fill a wish tag are typically accompanied by a grocery store gift card for the cupboard's families of three or more, but Klaiber said she might be forced to use the cards to replenish the freezer.
“There's still so much up in the air,” she said.
After performing the gut-churning task of carrying a freezerful of rancid meat to the church's garbage and cleaning out the freezer, Klaiber and her volunteers set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the repair/replacement of the freezer. Those interested in making a monetary donation can do so at: charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/december-emergency-food-replacement
She said gift cards from grocery stores and monetary donations will be accepted at Southwest Butler Food Cupboard, 557 Perry Highway, Harmony, PA 16037.
Klaiber said the cupboard provides a monthly supply of dry goods, meats, prepared meals, produce, eggs and milk to 90 households comprising 275 people in Jackson and Lancaster townships, as well as Harmony and Zelienople.
The community already had begun to pitch in once the news of the situation broke on Friday, Klaiber said.
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has offered assistance, and Armstrong donated 45 turkey vouchers.
“That will cover our family households for Christmas turkeys,” Klaiber said of Armstrong's generosity. “The community is coming together. The Christmas spirit is still very much alive in Butler County.”
County Commissioner Kim Geyer learned of the issue Friday morning.
She said Community Partnerships, an agency with which she is affiliated as commissioner, might have contingency funds or other help to offer the Southwest Butler Food Cupboard.
Geyer also expects the caring people of the county to take notice of the problem and help out.
“The people here in Butler County are extremely generous, and this is the season of giving, so I think people throughout the county will recognize there's a need here,” she said.
By lunchtime Friday, Geyer had spoken with Sandy Curry, director of Community Partnerships, about the freezer problems experienced by the food cupboard.
“We will pull together and provide whatever resources we can,” Geyer said.
