Small-Town Grocery Turns Outage Into Community Feast

When an 18-hour power outage hit a small town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a local grocery store welcomed neighbors inside, giving away frozen and refrigerated items rather than letting them go to waste.

This is the epitome of a “Good News” Michigan story.

How the Outage Upper Peninsula Power Outage Began

Newberry, Michigan, suffered a widespread power outage that lasted nearly 18 hours over the weekend. Village Manager Alison Watkins told WZMQ-TV that the outage began around 7 a.m. Saturday, August 9, after a transformer failed at the town’s substation. Power wasn’t restored until the early hours of Sunday morning. Newberry is located about 60 miles northwest of St. Ignace in the eastern U.P.

Rahilly’s IGA Takes Action

Upon learning the power would likely be out for an extended period, Rahilly’s IGA opened its doors to local townspeople, giving away frozen food, plus limited dairy and produce. The store announced the giveaway in a Facebook post just before noon on Saturday, which was quickly flooded with positive comments thanking the owners for their generosity.

Community Response

Facebook user Tasha Tchozeski Stielstra put it perfectly, noting that the store went above and beyond to help friends and neighbors.

In a world where bad news travels fast, it’s moments like this that show the heart of small-town life — neighbors helping neighbors when it matters most.