TYLER, Texas — An East Texas organization found itself in a small crisis earlier this week and is now asking the community for help with donations.
This past weekend, the East Texas Crisis Center kitchen freezer broke and workers had to through away food. Although the freezer was fixed 24 hours later, the shelves remain empty and the nonprofit is not able to feed women and children meals.
"Part of providing shelter is also providing food. And so right now, being that the freezer broke, we’ve lost the ability to cook hot meals due to losing the food. We’ve lost an essential function to provide hot meals to these survivors and their children," said Jeremy Flowers, East Texas Crisis Center director of marketing and public relations.
The East Texas Crisis Center provides services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault across five counties in the region. They provide counseling, advocacy and emergency shelter. But with this issue, Flowers estimates the center had to get rid of $1,000 worth of food.
"Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get it fixed until Tuesday, so we salvaged what we could. The rest of it had to be thrown away," Flowers said. "So right now, we’re seeking to replace everything that we’ve lost, so we can ensure we have hot meals to provide the women and children in the shelter."
Over 40 women and children depend on the meals provided by the center.
Flowers said specifically they've thrown away meat and frozen vegetables. He hopes the community will step up in their time of need.
"We have such a generous community here in East Texas. When we’re in a time of need, the community pulls together and makes sure needs are met," Flowers said. "So, I’m just grateful to be a part of that."
To donate to the East Texas Crisis Center, click here.