By Gari Voss
The news could not have been worse. Village Market employee Jordan Otto and her husband Michael had been in an automobile accident as they were headed home from a shower. Jordan was pregnant and near delivery, but a healthy birth would not be in the cards. A car came from what seemed nowhere and struck their vehicle. Both Jordan and Michael were injured, and the unborn child was lost.
The couple had numerous injuries from which to recover. Michael was expected to have an extended stay at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, and Jordan would be at his side.
Jordan, her brothers Matthew and Colin, and Michael’s grandma had all been part of the Village Market family in Allegan. Their store family sprung into action. Sharon Peters and Jane Oram along with Tina Ranney, Debra Wykuis, and Robin Knuth organized a bake sale for July 19, 2025. The response was more than they had ever imagined.
Food arrived from employees and friends, art appeared, and customers began pouring over the tables. Those who did not purchase items often gave.
“I really think that employees stepped up, plus employees’ friends brought in baked goods,” shared Tina Ranney a longtime employee and part of management team at Village Market. “The Bake Sale raised over $1100 for the family. It was unbelievable.”
The Otto family has a long road to travel with physical rehabilitation and the mental/emotional strain of losing a baby in such a tragic manner. The support given by their extended “family” at Village Market is phenomenal and demonstrates the power of friendship in times of adversity.
