Consumers Energy, Manchester Market partner for free community breakfast
Signs in front of the Manchester Market announce the free breakfast sponsored by Consumers Energy on Saturday.
by Marsha Chartrand
It had been a long, rough week for a lot of Manchester families.
It started out with a long holiday weekend filled with pleasant weather, blue skies, buds noted on some trees, and even robins, and a back-to-school Tuesday that found many enjoying Pączki, Mardi Gras celebrations, and more … then there was Wednesday.
Dawning drizzly and cold, everyone had been warned that an ice storm was on the way and we thought we were prepared. But this storm was epic. A thick layer of ice covered the trees, the ground, the flag at the post office, and pretty much anything else you could imagine. Including power lines. By sunset on Wednesday, as trees and branches began to fall and power started to flicker out, most people realized that this was not your typical ice storm and that the typical preparations may not have been enough.
Thursday morning, Manchester awoke to find the extent of the damage inflicted overnight by the ice storm, and throughout the day discovered that more damage was to come. Many who hadn’t lost power on Wednesday, lost it on Thursday … or even Friday. Estimates for restoration of service were ranging out a week or longer. And after the ice melted in the sunshine on Thursday afternoon, temperatures were dropping again on Friday … with snow predicted for Saturday. Meanwhile, tempers got hot.
Friday night, it was announced that Consumers Energy would be providing a free breakfast at the Manchester Market to Manchester residents and those from surrounding communities to thank them for their patience and provide some comfort. Despite the short notice, around 600 meals were served between 9am and 11am on Saturday morning.
Our hearts are full!“ said a Facebook post from the Market on Saturday afternoon. “Over 600 guests were fed and our community was made a little stronger. Thank you, Manchester, for your kindness and support. We can do hard things together!“
Representatives from Consumers Energy, Grand River Brewery — Jackson, Super Perky Pantry, and Rep. Debbie Dingell herself attended the event to talk with those who came to get a hot breakfast, social interaction with their neighbors, and just plain warmth, since many of them were still without power in their homes and apartments.
Justin Dalenberg, owner of Grand River Brewery, Butchery, and Bakery at the Manchester Market, said that the event came about through “pure serendipity.“ “I have known Josh Burgett from Consumers Energy for many years,“ he explained. “He called me yesterday and asked me if we could partner on this event and I said sure, when? And he said, ‘tomorrow.‘
“Fortunately, or unfortunately, we are still without power at the Grand River Brewery in Jackson, so I had crew members from there, who were ready and able to, come and help prepare and serve the breakfast sandwiches and it all came off without a hitch. This kind of use is what we are planning for the Acorn space when we get it renovated, so it was a good trial run, and it was nice to be able to fill that space with all those people.“
Dalenberg said Consumers Energy paid for the meal, but since the food came from the Market they were able to charge them just wholesale cost, which saved a lot of money. On Sunday, Consumers had made plans to host another breakfast event in downtown Jackson at the Gene Davis catering facility on Francis Street.
Ken Heers, who owns the Super Perky Pantry end of the Manchester Market facility, was also enthusiastic about how well the event was handled. “Consumers Energy understands what a tremendous hardship the power outage has been for everyone, and beyond doing their very best to get power restored, they wanted to provide a fresh cooked breakfast and hopefully a little comfort to as many people as possible who have been affected by the storm,“ he said. “I realize I almost sound like a PR person for Consumers; I just think it was a very considerate thing for them to do amidst their around-the-clock effort to get power restored.“
Josh Burgett, of Consumers, added, “The event was great and turnout was better than expected. I was really pleased with the appreciation shown by so many of the attendees. I cannot say enough about Justin and his team. They did a fantastic job to make this event a reality with less than 24 hours’ planning. The food and hospitality was spectacular.“
Burgett indicated that Manchester was selected based on the outages and estimated time of restoration. “Manchester and surrounding communities got hit hard, and it was great to be able to provide a hot meal and warm place to sit and talk to neighbors during this inconvenient time. We really appreciate the patience shown by all of our customers.“
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell stayed for over 90 minutes to meet the community and talk with customers. Her outreach to the community was, as some commented, “the real deal.“ She came to listen to those who had needs and concerns and to offer her support to Manchester as a true representative, changing her own plans on extremely short notice to come and work on making a difference in her district.
Consumers Energy has been working around the clock to restore power to over 250,000 homes and businesses affected by last week’s storm. Over 500 crews from Michigan and four other states were working through the weekend to restore power in southern Michigan communities. Consumers Energy is Michigan’s largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
Shortly after 9am, the line for breakfast stretched through the store and out the Market doors into the parking lot.
Breakfast was served in the cafe space in the rear of the store that was, until recently, occupied by Acorn Farmer’s Market.
Rep. Debbie Dingell speaks to constituents waiting in line for breakfast, including seniors from Woodhill Apartments who were still without power on Saturday morning.
Even at nearly 11am, tables were full and people were visiting and staying warm in the cafe area at the Manchester Market.
Breakfast sandwiches were popular with those who came for a hot breakfast, good conversation, and a warm place to sit and visit.
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