The United Way of Southwest Michigan has donated more than $3,000 of new Whirlpool appliances to Emergency Shelter Services in Benton Harbor.
The United Way’s Zack East tells us the items were from the recent online-only Whirlpool Appliance Sale that took place in December. He says a board member of Emergency Shelter Services spoke to the United Way about its need for kitchen appliances.
“The shelter itself has its own kitchen that is pretty active every day, all day long with the ins and outs of the families that come in,” East said. “And they were replacing a lot of parts and pieces of those appliances over the years, and just said, ‘It would be amazing if we could get a little bit better refrigerator, a little bit better dishwasher to keep up with the demand.'”
So, the United Way donated a high-end Maytag refrigerator, a Whirlpool dishwasher, and a Maytag range. East says the appliances will certainly be used in the kitchen, given the heavy amount of activity there each day.
Emergency Shelter Services Director Reshella Hawkins and board member Amanda Rush say the donation is “truly life changing.” They say the organization’s kitchen is the “heart of the home” of countless families recovering from circumstances that left them without permanent housing.
East notes that the recently completed online appliance sale generated about $15,000 for the United Way, all thanks to the generosity of Whirlpool.
