MISSOULA — The Watson Children’s Shelter in Missoula just received a surprising donation that they say will help them save and reallocate hundreds of dollars, back to the kids.
“There are a lot of lovely people that do beautiful things all the time. Just because it goes unnoticed, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Happens here every day,” noted Satic Solar owner and CEO B.D. Erickson II.
The Watson Children’s Shelter has served Missoula kids in need for the past 50 years. “It’s kids who experienced abuse, or neglect, or abandonment,” explained executive director Emma Anderson.
They provide housing, food, and support for about 100 kids every year but it takes a lot to run an operation like that.
"You won’t believe how expensive our energy bill is every month,” Anderson noted. But now, they’re getting some help.
Satic Solar reached out to the shelter after hearing stories of neglect and abuse. While the company said they don't have much money to donate, they're giving what they do best -- installing these 30 solar panels on the roof.
“It’s a three-man job, two on the roof. One sends the panels up, two always on safety harness and...installing it,” Erickson explained.
He calls the workers at the Watson Children’s Shelter heroes, “you see a need, or a level of suffering, as a human, we are compelled, you want to take action."
“For us, it really was pretty out of the blue, that they called up,” Anderson told MTN News. “And I think it's just something that's been on his heart.
The new solar panels will save the shelter up to $400 per month on energy bills. “While that’s not life-changing, it sure makes your day,” Erickson said.
“We can reallocate those funds to going directly to the children who are in our shelters, directly to the families that we're working with,” Anderson explained.
Satic Solar says a project like the one at the shelter would normally cost $40,000. But they donated the panels and labor for free.
