Our operations have looked quite different over the years, beginning in 1982 with a retrofitted tobacco barn in Hadley, moving to our first dedicated warehouse space in Hatfield in 1986, and settling in to our new larger, greener distribution center in Chicopee in 2023. This growth, made possible by the the incredible support we receive from community members, local businesses, and legislators, is also representative of the scale of food insecurity and hunger in our region.
Our new home is an important milestone in our evolution to advance our mission for decades to come, enabling the Food Bank to provide more nutritious food to more people more equitably, enhance efficiency, and deepen our engagement with the community to confront the causes of hunger.
Operations
Located at 25 Carew Street in Chicopee, our food warehouse, resource, education, and advocacy center includes:
- Office and meeting space for Food Bank staff, volunteers, and guests visiting for SNAP application assistance, Food Assistance Navigation, and nutrition education.
- A flexible Community Room for meetings, workshops, and events.
- 39,404 square feet of warehouse space for dry, refrigerated, and frozen goods, and a dedicated sorting room for volunteers.
- Parking lot space for more than one hundred vehicles, including our entire fleet of trucks and vans.
- Nine loading docks, three of which are refrigerated, and a separate truck entrance for a smoother flow of traffic both on-site and in the surrounding neighborhood.
- Separate loading areas for member food pantries, meal sites, and shelters to pick up food at the Food Bank.
- Green technology features such as heat pumps and solar panels.
Green Energy at the Food Bank
The Food Bank’s new facility was designed with green energy in mind. PV Squared installed the planned solar array on the rooftop of the building and as a canopy over a section of the parking lot.
The Food Bank warehouse space has 5,450 square feet of refrigerated and 3,590 square feet of freezer space that runs 24/7 to keep much of the fresh, nutritious food we provide at safe temperatures. Naturally, this requires a lot of energy which would otherwise come from non-renewable sources and put stress on the local grid.
The Food Bank is deeply connected to the local food economy and is committed to minimizing our carbon footprint as climate change threatens agriculture on a local, nationwide, and global scale.
Solar FAQ's
Why install solar on-site at the Food Bank?
The significant sun exposure the building receives, on its large rooftop and onsite parking, makes it perfect for a solar project. Installing solar in a “built environment” as opposed to in a cleared field in a traditional solar farm significantly reduces its negative ecological impact since it doesn’t require any additional clearing or removal of natural spaces. Instead, it takes advantage of otherwise unused spaces, and creates shade and protected parking for vehicles on-site.
The project also benefits Chicopee residents, as it mitigates the stress our high-energy building places on the local electrical grid.
What are the specs of the solar array?
- Total Capacity: 615.465 kW
- 1,269 QCell Solar Panels
- 635 Solaredge Optimizers
- 5 Solaredge Inverters
Its exact annual production will not be known until it has been operational for a full year, but it is estimated to produce 697,332 kWh of electricity each year for the Food Bank or the equivalent of 685 homes.
How was the solar project funded?
This project was funded by a congressionally directed Community Funding Project grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Development thanks to Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey.
Why did the Food Bank partner with PV Squared?
PV Squared was competitively selected for this project because they are a local business with an incredible breadth of experience installing solar projects of the scale and nature the Food Bank needs. Additionally, as a B-Corp certified, worker-owned business, our values align to keep the community at large at the center of our work.
Find a food pantry or free meal
Please refer to this schedule to find free meals or a food pantry.
