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.

To help support the Gleaners mission, Carrier Transicold of Detroit, based in Lincoln Park, installed the Supra 960MT unit on a 28-foot box truck. As a multi-temperature unit, it enables both refrigerated and frozen cargo to be carried simultaneously in separate compartments. Additionally, two Model 35X units were installed atop two 18-foot vans used for milk delivery and food rescue. 

“Gleaners Community Food Bank has been helping our region for more than 40 years,” said Mark Sparkman, president of Carrier Transicold of Detroit. “It was a privilege for our team to support them in this way.”

Named Feeding America’s Member of the Year for 2019, Gleaners operates distribution centers in five Michigan counties and provides food to 528 partner soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and other agencies throughout southeast Michigan. Last year, Gleaners distributed more than 43 million pounds of food, averaging 96,000 meals each day, including providing nourishing food and nutrition education to 171,000 children.

“Carrier technologies strengthen the global cold chain by helping to preserve, protect and deliver nutritious perishable food,” said Jon Shaw, director, sustainability, Carrier Transicold & Refrigeration Systems. “In addition to our focus in emerging countries, there are also critical needs right here in the U.S. and Feeding America and its network members enable us to reach those most in need right here.”

Since 2017, Carrier Transicold’s support of the Feeding America program has funded 17 truck and trailer refrigeration units, including installation, worth $450,000 for various food banks serving parts of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah.