Officials at Meals on Wheels For Western New York have rolled out another capital improvement they say will further ensure they are never again left unable to produce during a weather-related emergency.
A network of three new generators was turned on Tuesday morning at their Buffalo headquarters. Those generators will power the large commissary on the grounds and allow it to keep running during weather emergencies.
The commissary itself was built following the "October Surprise" storm of 2006, which left meals on Wheels unable to deliver to its clients.
"As a result we could not feed people for eight days," said CEO and President Tara Ellis. "That resulted in people being hospitalized and becoming very ill. It also meant that we could not fulfill our duties as the food partner in the Emergency Food Preparedness Program of Western New York."
The project to acquire and install the 450-kilowatt system was made possible with the support of numerous contributors including the City of Buffalo, several local businesses and several local philanthropic foundations.
