Lucinda Hudson of the Parkside Association says the food bank has helped the community considerably during the pandemic.
She says before her neighborhood had a supermarket, they relied on Share to provide groceries to people in need and others who did not have the ability to drive to a market, which could have been miles away.
“Parkside Association has been a client of the Share Program since 1997,” said Hudson. “We were a food desert, so we depended heavily on the Share program.”
The solar panels will offset the cost of electricity for running refrigeration which is crucial to the food distribution process. The facility has had to increase its number of the large refrigerators to handle the additional volume of fresh food and produce necessary for distribution to those in need during the pandemic.
The cost of electricity to run the units is a big slice of the nonprofit’s budget. Solar panels should cut down on those expenses, allowing more money to be put towards acquiring and distributing food.
WHYY is one of over 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city’s push towards economic justice. Follow us at @BrokeInPhilly.