The Southeastern Food Bank is set to increase its capacity to feed families in need by adopting solar energy, with generous support from Freedom Solar Power.
Freedom Solar installed a $113,000 solar array at the food bank’s facility in Winter Garden. CEO Mark Anthony stated that this initiative will help reduce energy costs and aid their mission of providing food to 50,000 food-insecure children, seniors, and families in Central Florida this holiday season.
“With rising inflation in 2022, many families are struggling to afford essential food items, making it vital to support those in need as we enter the holiday season,” remarked Bret Biggart, CEO of Freedom Solar. “We are proud to partner with Southeastern Food Bank in their important mission to combat hunger in Central Florida.”
The installation includes 71 solar panels on the roof of the dry storage warehouse, generating over 47,200 kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually—enough to supply about 70% of the nonprofit’s total energy needs.
The food bank anticipates saving $236,000 in energy costs over the lifetime of the solar system, enabling them to provide meals for an additional 800 local families. Remarkably, this solar installation came at no out-of-pocket expense for Southeastern Food Bank.
“By reducing our rising electricity expenses, we aim to broaden our services and assist hundreds more families across the 26 counties that rely on us. I want to express my gratitude to Bret and his team for making this possible,” said Anthony.
On Thanksgiving, the food bank plans to distribute meals to 1,200 families at West Orlando Baptist Church, located at 1006 E. Crown Point Road, starting at 8 a.m.