PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — Oakland HOPE staff and volunteers like Mary Lou Temple, who volunteers once a week, are bundled up indoors.
"I have about three layers. So, I have the Oakland HOPE shirt on under this, my coat, gloves, hat, boots. Feet get cold," she explained.
She's trying to keep warm as she prepares boxes of food items for families in need.
"It's very organized here. We just go in a circle and get food for the clients," Temple said.
The clients line up outside in their vehicles in drive-thru fashion to pick up their boxes. The nonprofit said it feeds 16,000 families a year.
What isn't visible is the drop in temperature the volunteers from General Motors, BorgWarner and Roof One worked through on Friday.
Norma Okonski, founder and executive director of Oakland HOPE, said two of the building's 15 HVAC units are down.
"You think it's cold outside. Brrr, it's cold inside here in our food pantry," she said.
"Once January hit, we had been limping along but when the cold weather hit, it was such a force on all the other units that the second unit went down and so we are in jeopardy of more units going down because they can't carry the load."
As you can imagine, the cost to fix them isn't cheap.
"So, our (HVAC) guy said that he could (repair) one and he thinks that we could limp along and that is roughly $15,000," Okonski said.
That's $15,000 to repair one unit, but where that money will come from is the big question. Okonski said the nonprofit spends $600,000 a year to feed families and that much of it comes from donations with a portion from sales made in its thrift store.
"The ask is for $15,000 from a business, from friends, from families, from the widows. I've gotten several small donations today, which we're very thankful for and it will all go towards a new HVAC unit," she said.
What they don't want to do is use food money to make the repairs.
"We're the only pantry that gives milk, cheese, yogurt, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables. So, either something will have to give. Either pantry clients aren't allowed to come every seven days, they get less food, but something will have to change," Okonski said.
If you would like to make a donation, you can find more information at OaklandHope.org.
