It was a rough New Yearβs Day for Melayna Neufeld, who spent much of the day rushing her son Bentson, who has severe asthma, to urgent care and then the hospital.
In the middle of it all she received unexpected news β her family had been chosen to receive a new furnace and hot water tank, fully installed, as a gift for their home.
βI couldnβt even process it,β Neufeld said. βI started crying. I was just mind-blown.β
The generous gift came from Air Tech Mechanical. Recipients were selected from responses to a social media post the company made on its Facebook page in December. This is the second year the family-run business has sought to help out local families.
βWe had a flood of people telling their stories, and what theyβve experienced,β explained Amanda Gale, install coordinator/dispatcher for Air Tech. βWe read them and found the most deserving person β turned out to be Melayna.β
Neufeld said the new heating system is a blessing. βIt means everything. I am a below-the-knee amputee, I was injured at work when I was a teenager.β
Cold weather often causes several issues for the amputated area of Neufeldβs leg. βOne of the reasons I was worried about our furnace β if it goes β I donβt know what I would do.β
Among paying the bills, she and her husband Erik also work to ensure that their home is as safe and comfortable as possible for Bentson, and dogs Honey and Bruno.
βWeβve had a lot of unexpected things come up, including a needed update to my wheelchair ramp, and it was pick and choose between what do we fix,β Neufeld said. βIt (ramp) was a safety issue that had to be done.β
The Neufeldβs furnace is more than 30-years old. The cost to replace it, along with the new hot water tank, is about $8,000.
For Air Tech owners Steve and Kirsty Roderick, itβs all about giving back to the community.
βMy wife and I grew up in a part of Wales which was the second poorest area of the entire United Kingdom,β Steve explained. βEveryone is used to sticking out for each other. It means the world that we are able to help someone.β
The Rodericks moved to the Okanagan in 2017 and started their business soon after arriving. βI want people to understand there are many family run businesses in the Okanagan,β Steve said. βIf you work with them, they will work with you.β
In addition to the Neufelds, Air Tech is providing a free heating package to a Vernon resident. βWe had lots of candidates,β Steve noted. βMelaynaβs story was unique. Everyone was deserving.β
Neufeld said it's difficult to express her gratitude in just words. βEvery time I talk about it, I canβt believe it. Itβs such a huge gift. Iβm overwhelmed and I can't thank them enough.β