Smitter Donates Bed Bug Treatment to Struggling Family

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — John Koval, president of Smitter Pest Control, Grand Rapids, Mich., helped bring some Christmas joy to a struggling family by providing it with a free bed bug treatment.

 

The Michigan family has five children, including an 8-month-old girl recovering from heart surgery. Making matters more challening, both parents are out of work and the family is struggling with finances. A hospital caseworker, concerned about sending the girl home to the family’s bed bug-infested home, contacted several local pest control companies looking for help.

 

Koval agreed to provide a free treatment.

 

“I thought of my four-month-old daughter at home, and how difficult it would be to not see her at Christmas, and my heart told me to go and do the job,” Koval said. “The little girl is really sick and I wanted to make sure she made it home for Christmas so she can spend it with her family.”

 

Koval provided the family with a list of preparation tasks that he said they did a great job completing, and Koval performed an inspection and clean up, followed by a conventional pesticide application. Koval said he estimates it would have been a $1,300 to $1,500 job that Smitter provided free of charge.

 

“The nurses at the hospital banded together and raised money to pay for it, but we did not accept it. I told them to use it for something else,” Koval said.

 

Smitter Pest Control was founded in 1939 and Koval is the company’s third-generation owner.