Power surge leads to food loss at North Helpline's Lake City location
Saturday, March 28, 2026
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| After a power outage North Helpline had to compose thousands of pounds of food. Photo courtesy North Helpline |
On Friday, March 13, 2026 North Helpline’s Lake City location experienced a power outage due to severe weather, followed by a power surge, which damaged our walk-in refrigerator and freezer.
As a result, we had to dispose of thousands of pounds of purchased food with an estimated value of $15,000, including eggs, produce, tofu, and frozen protein.
This devastating loss immediately impacted our ability to provide nutritionally sound and highly sought items to our neighbors at our Lake City distribution on Saturday, March 14th. It also disrupted our home delivery and distributions the entire following week. The timing was especially difficult for neighbors observing Ramadan, as we lost all of our halal meat options and were unable to secure more before the end of the holiday.
In the face of these challenges, our staff and volunteers showed incredible dedication.While redirecting efforts to composting, canceling Grocery Rescue runs, and coordinating repairs reduced our ability to serve at full capacity and took a toll on morale, our team's resiliency never wavered. We are deeply grateful for the flexibility and perseverance of our community during such a difficult week.
Unfortunately, this loss has also created a significant gap in our food purchasing budget as we work to restock. If you’re able, please consider making an emergency donation to help us recover and continue providing high-quality, culturally relevant food to our community. We are deeply grateful for your support.
This devastating loss immediately impacted our ability to provide nutritionally sound and highly sought items to our neighbors at our Lake City distribution on Saturday, March 14th. It also disrupted our home delivery and distributions the entire following week. The timing was especially difficult for neighbors observing Ramadan, as we lost all of our halal meat options and were unable to secure more before the end of the holiday.
In the face of these challenges, our staff and volunteers showed incredible dedication.While redirecting efforts to composting, canceling Grocery Rescue runs, and coordinating repairs reduced our ability to serve at full capacity and took a toll on morale, our team's resiliency never wavered. We are deeply grateful for the flexibility and perseverance of our community during such a difficult week.
Unfortunately, this loss has also created a significant gap in our food purchasing budget as we work to restock. If you’re able, please consider making an emergency donation to help us recover and continue providing high-quality, culturally relevant food to our community. We are deeply grateful for your support.
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