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Lightning blows out power at Wyoming food truck facility during biggest summer weeks

Prep Space on Judd Ave. SW will have both of their electrical transformers replaced near the end of the week
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WYOMING, Mich. — A warehouse serving as a hub for food trucks operating in West Michigan is facing some unique challenges after losing power during a lightning strike.

Power fails at food truck facility during busy season

Opened by Scott Overweg and his daughter, Prep Space on Judd Avenue SW has been open for about five years now.

"We supply coolers, freezers, electrical hookups ... They need to have recycling; we can do that. We can do the grease dump, the trash service," Overweg explained to FOX 17 Wednesday.

"I just think that is a great way to give back to the community, to have something like this where people can start a food business, whether it's a food truck or catering or anything like that."

Late last Thursday night, lightning struck near a power pole outside their facility, blowing out their two electrical transformers.

“I got a call early in the morning saying the power was out. I looked at the Consumers map. There was nothing here,” Overweg said.

“I finally realized that our transformers inside the building that convert our electricity — from what the pole has to what we need — two of them blew.”

With about 20 food trucks currently utilizing Prep Space's building and utilities, some owner/operators like Damion Parker, co-owner of Kona Ice of West Grand Rapids, are getting creative.

“For my business … ice is my food. We went through about 2,000 pounds of ice [per event],” Parker told FOX 17 Wednesday.

“But, with the power outage, fortunately, I was still able to get ice, but I had to go to Costco. I had to move those 20-pound bags, about about 110 of them ... move them each about five or six times to get them to where we have a freezer.”

Thankfully, the West Michigan food truck industry is not just resourceful but also quite generous with one another.

“We do talk to each other, we cry to each other, we try to get ideas and we help each other out,” Parker said.

Van Eerden Food Service showed up to the facility with a massive truck — one half of the truck is a freezer, while the other is a cooler.

In terms of getting the power back on, Overweg has been doing everything he can to replace the two busted transformers.

“Those are very expensive, very hard to get. We have one that should be coming in to the local dealership here tomorrow, and another one is flying in from California on Friday,” he explained.

Everyone for the time being is banding together to keep all the trucks on the road and moving forward.

“There is a network that I'm very thankful for to keep me pushing through,” Parker said.

Overweg adds, “It's just a great atmosphere, great village. There's so much with the food trucks, how much they work together and complement each other.”

You can keep up with Prep Space, and check out their available space and resources, at their website HERE.

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