Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, has received some ‘cool’ assistance from Carrier Transicold in the form of three transport refrigeration units. A Supra® 950MT multi-temperature truck refrigeration unit and two Model 35X direct-drive units for delivery vans were provided through a grant from Carrier Transicold and its parent company United Technologies Corp. that supports food banks in the Feeding America network. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.
The truck equipped with the Supra 950MT unit supports Gleaner’s innovative weekly pop-up grocery market serving low-income consumers. Called My Neighborhood Mobile Grocery, the Gleaners’ shopping service provides weekly access to affordable nutritious food at 17 sites for senior citizens and one site for military veterans in the metropolitan Detroit area.
“My Neighborhood Mobile Grocery aims to deliver sustainable access to higher quality fresh produce and nutritious food staples, helping low-income families stretch available food budgets for increased household stability and improved health through better nutrition,” said Gerry Brisson, president of Gleaners. “The equipment grants from Carrier Transicold are helping Gleaners in our goal to move from providing emergency food to providing food as a resource for families to improve their lives.”
Incorporating a unique approach, Gleaners purchases groceries for resale through My Neighborhood Mobile Grocery, with the margin on discounted food sales supporting direct operating costs that help the service to be financially sustainable.