Windsor Lifeline Outreach needs to get its forklift running againA broken forklift is keeping much-needed food and clothing from those in need in the Ontario area of Windsor.
Windsor Lifeline Outreach (WLO) has been without its forklift for almost two weeks since it “just stopped working”, the organisation’s executive director, Paul Bettany, explains.
Bettany says the forklift is critical to offloading trucks bringing donations, storing the goods at heights and moving large volumes around the warehouse.
“On average we move and offload 10,000 to 40,000 lb. (4,536 - 18,144 kg) a week, depending on what we have picked up from the farms or skids of canned goods,” Bettany says.
“The forklift is absolutely crucial to our operations from offloading our truck, moving skids of canned goods to placing pallets in our racking for storage, as well as lifting large containers to our second level, where the clothing is cleaned and sorted for the clothing bank part of our organisation.
“We are very limited without the use of our forklift,” he continues. “There are places in our facility that are inaccessible without it, not to mention having to use manpower and pallet jacks to move heavy skids by hand.”
The quote WLO has received to repair the 15-year-old Toyota electric forklift is well out of reach for the charity at CAD14,000-20,000 (USD10,150-14,500).
Anyone able to assist WLO can do so via the website.