HOLLAND, Michigan — Gateway Mission, an emergency shelter in Holland, suffered a fire over the weekend that burned their pantry, the organization announced.
The fire happened Friday night in the pantry at the Men's Center, officials said. No one was hurt and the fire was small, but much of their food supply was damaged.
“With our pantry, and we serve over 100, folks, three meals a day breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can imagine how devastating that is to us," said Jay Riemersma, Gateway Mission Interim Executive Director.
The fire comes as Gateway is in their busiest season.
"We desperately need our friends to step up and replenish these food items so we can feed the more than 100 men, women and children sleeping in our shelters tonight," he said.
Thankfully, the fire started just 18 inches away from the sprinkler, so it was extinguished immediately. Now, the problem is water damage.
“Everything in our pantry that is paper products needs to be disposed of, we've been told by the health department that we need to eliminate all those," he explained.
The Holland Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire, but Gateway believes it may have been a faulty light fixture.
Thanks to a surplus of donations they’ve been storing, the shelter will still have meal services for the next few days, but they’ll need the community’s help to replenish their supplies beyond that.
"Here at Gateway mission, we exist to declare and demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to those less fortunate and homeless in our community. And so, we take that calling very seriously," Riemersma said.
“We're excited about the opportunity that we have to overcome this, and demonstrate and share that love," he said, smiling.
Staff has compiled a list of food items urgently needed to feed their visitors:
- Boxed rice
- Cereal
- Noodles
- Dry milk
- Any other pantry staples
Drop-off locations, as well as other needs, can be found on their website here. You can also make a donation at their giving page here.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.