With the demand for aid from food pantries spiking, the gift of a trailer refrigeration unit from Carrier Transicold is helping the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, the anchor of the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, deliver fresh food to a widening base of people in need throughout the 20-county region that it serves. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, a provider of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.

Given as part of Carrier’s continuing support of food banks in the Feeding America network, an X4 Series Model 7300 refrigeration unit was installed on a 53-foot-long trailer by Williams Carrier Transicold of Columbus.

“The support of Carrier Transicold moves us one step closer to realizing our vision of a hunger-free and healthier community,” said Matt Habash, president and CEO, Mid-Ohio Food Collective. “Today, more than 50% of the food we distribute is fresh – fruits and vegetables, bread, eggs, meat and dairy. Our refrigerated trucks and trailers help us deliver it to our partners for distribution within two days of arrival, helping to preserve its nutritional quality.”

Now in its 40th year of operation, the Mid-Ohio Food Bank typically distributes more than 66.5 million pounds of food annually, providing enough food for more than 150,000 meals daily, serving nearly 600,000 people annually across central and eastern Ohio. Those numbers have been significantly increasing in 2020, due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Helping the Mid-Ohio Food Collective through this unit installation was a privilege for our Columbus service team,” said Nick Gutbrod, sales manager, Williams Carrier Transicold of Columbus. “By supporting the food bank, we are helping Ohio neighbors who are urgently in need.”

Since 2017, Carrier Transicold has contributed $600,000 in support of Feeding America’s network of 200 food banks, with Carrier Transicold’s nationwide dealer network providing installation and service support. According to Feeding America, every dollar contributed provides for at least 10 meals, equating to 6 million meals that will have been donated since the inception of Carrier Transicold’s social outreach program. Carrier’s contributions have funded 32 truck and trailer refrigeration units for food banks serving 18 states, with more to come.