Veggie Rescue activated their first prototype for a mobile solar cooler to serve the Pilgrim Terrace Senior Community and refrigerate their CSA tower garden and community garden veggies.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mobile solar cooler moved to Los Alamos to support the Los Alamos Foundation’s weekly food distribution program, serving approximately 100 families per week.
Veggie Rescue was awarded $25,000 by SBCFAN’s Food System Resilience Grant program to build a second mobile solar refrigeration unit and launch field trials in various locations throughout Santa Barbara County.
The design was refined to increase the reliability of refrigeration and to create a template for future units. This second iteration is built on a 12-foot trailer and powered by the sun. A plug-in option was added so that the unit could be recharged on cloudy days.
Having more refrigeration capacity enables Veggie Rescue to increase access to healthy foods, reduce more food waste, and raise awareness about renewable energy.
The Good Samaritan Bridge House Emergency shelter agreed to host the mobile solar cooler for a shared delivery point for several free meal programs around Lompoc. Brian Halterman, the Bridge House Executive Director, helped Veggie Rescue connect with local churches and small nonprofits that do not have the facilities to receive food from Veggie Rescue or the food bank, but who serve the housing and food insecure community members every week. The food delivered by Veggie Rescue was also available to Good Samaritan Case Workers to take to their recently housed clients who are living in transitional housing.
Currently, Prototype 2 is being retrofitted to add additional solar panels using a wing concept, increase the ability to cool 24/7, and maintain temperatures through days of overcast weather.
By piloting these prototypes, Veggie Rescue hopes to be able to further refine the design and build process to create an efficient and effective mobile solar cooler template that can be replicated to serve Santa Barbara County – and beyond.
SBCFAN Members receive our seasonal member newsletter and occasional alerts about food system resources, opportunities, and advocacy. Membership is free and the only prerequisite is that you be an active participant in the Santa Barbara County food system. If you eat, grow, gather, buy, sell, ship, process, raise, fish, and/or engage with food as it moves from farm to table, we hope you’ll become an SBCFAN member.
In addition to receiving our email newsletters, the Network provides members with an online “hub” to further connect, align, and activate with other food system “actors” so that together, we can build a more resilient food system.
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A successful Network is a community where everyone can participate, contribute, and benefit from connecting with others. That’s why we are setting a table with space for everyone. We welcome you to grab a seat and join the conversation so that together, we can build a more resilient food system.
That being said, the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network is a work in progress. We have much to learn, including how we can create a hub for our countywide food system that over time will reflect all of you. We are committed to taking a stepped approach to inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility as we develop our language and communications, outreach, and leadership.
Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding while we continue to evolve.
The SBCFAN Team
Una Red exitosa es una comunidad en la que todos pueden participar, contribuir y beneficiarse de la conexión con los demás. Por ello, estamos preparando una mesa con espacio para todos. Te invitamos a tomar asiento y unirte a la conversación para que juntos podamos construir un sistema alimentario más resistente.
Dicho esto, la Red de Acción Alimentaria del Condado de Santa Bárbara es un trabajo en progreso. Tenemos mucho que aprender, incluyendo cómo podemos crear un centro para nuestro sistema alimentario en todo el condado que con el tiempo reflejará a todos ustedes. Nos comprometemos a adoptar un enfoque gradual para la inclusión, la diversidad y la accesibilidad a medida que desarrollamos nuestro lenguaje y las comunicaciones, el alcance y el liderazgo.
Gracias de antemano por su paciencia y comprensión mientras seguimos evolucionando.
El Equipo de SBCFAN
Estamos diseñando nuestro sitio web y nuestro portal de miembros para que sean multiculturales y multilingües. Pero aún nos queda mucho trabajo por hacer.
Mientras trabajamos para lograr un contenido completamente bilingüe, utilizaremos una combinación de traducción humana y automática. Nos comprometemos a proporcionar un acceso inclusivo, diverso y equitativo, y le agradecemos de antemano su paciencia y comprensión mientras evolucionamos. Por ahora, por favor, perdone nuestro extraño español.
El equipo de SBCFAN
Please Pardon Our Awkward Spanish
We are designing our website and member portal to be multicultural and multilingual. But we still have a lot of work to do.
As we work toward completely bilingual content, we will use a combination of human and machine translation. We are committed to providing inclusive, diverse, and equitable access – and we thank you in advance for your patience and understanding while we evolve. For now, please pardon our awkward Spanish.
The SBCFAN Team