Carrier Transicold announced a program funded by a $150,000 grant from parent United Technologies Corp. to donate truck and trailer refrigeration units to individual food banks in the Feeding America network. The grant, which will cover the donation and installation of transport refrigeration units to seven food banks, was presented to Feeding America representatives at Carrier Transicold’s 2017 Americas Truck /Trailer Dealer Meeting in Las Vegas.
“We take our responsibility very seriously to help preserve, protect, deliver and display the world’s food supply,” said Jon Shaw, director, Global Communications & Sustainability, Carrier Transicold & Refrigeration Systems. “As we focus on helping emerging nations develop the cold chain as a means of getting more perishable food to hungry people, we also realize there are needs in the U.S. as well and that’s why we chose to work with Feeding America and its nationwide network of member food banks.”
Funds will be disbursed to member food banks that have identified a need for a carrier truck or trailer refrigeration unit. The food banks in Louisiana, South Dakota, Michigan, California, Georgia and Nevada will then use the funds to purchase the equipment, including installation by an authorized Carrier Transicold dealer.
Participating Carrier Transicold dealers in the 2017 program include:
- Carrier Transicold South in St. Rose, Louisiana
- Transport Refrigeration of South Dakota in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Carrier Transicold of Detroit in Detroit, Michigan
- Bay Area Transport Refrigeration in Hayward, California
- Carrier Transicold South in Lake City, Georgia
- CT Power in North Las Vegas, Nevada
Feeding America is responsible for serving more than 4 billion meals a year through its network of 200 food banks serving 60,000 agencies nationwide. With a combined 1,850 refrigerated trucks in its fleet, Feeding America and its members deliver more than 1.25 billion pounds of micro-nutrient rich fresh produce and other perishables each year.
“More than 42 million people nationwide face hunger, including 13 million children,” said Bill Thomas, chief supply chain officer, Product Development, Feeding America. “The Feeding America network distributes billions of pounds of produce, dairy and proteins to people in need each year so a robust cold chain is critical to our mission. With support from Carrier, we will be able to distribute more of these valuable items to help ensure that our communities have access to more healthy and nutritious food options that might otherwise end up in landfills.”
The grant was funded in part by proceeds from the book Food Foolish: The Hidden Connection Between Food Waste, Hunger and Climate Change, which was coauthored by John Mandyck, Chief Sustainability Officer, United Technologies.
“Cold chain technologies are essential to avoid food waste and extend the world’s food supply so we can sustainably feed more people globally,” said Mandyck. “More than 1 billion metric tons of food is lost or wasted each year. This donation will simultaneously help reduce that waste while helping Feeding America in its fight against hunger.”
