Unity Shoppe installs new energy efficient appliances to increase food supplies in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - From raspberry flavored ice cream, to a carton of milk, the Unity Shoppe in Santa Barbara has more food items to choose from than ever before.

“We got milk and cheese from all of the donors," said executive director and CEO Angela Miller-Bevan of Unity Shoppe.

That’s because the Sola Street organization just installed new energy-efficient appliances.

Thanks to a $75,000 grant from the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara, the nonprofit purchased several new industrial refrigerators for perishables, four freezers for frozen foods, and six months supplies of chicken and eggs for clients.

“So when we did get donations … sometimes we had to not accept all of them at once and so what this has done is it just allows us to increase our capacity which allows more mouths to be fed," said inventory and volunteer manager Kevin Easter of Unity Shoppe.

“We have been running off very old equipment ... so it’s very energy efficient now ... but we’re also able to collect more supplies," said Miller-Bevan.

The Unity Shoppe team hopes the new refrigerators and freezers will continue to meet the increased demand in the community.

“All of the low income families … children … seniors … we work with everyone ... and we’re excited to continue that work," said Miller-Bevan.

The team saw the number of people seeking food more than double last year, and they’re projecting those numbers to climb this year.

“My hope is we continue to grow and expand and to meet the need that we’ve experienced ... we’ve had an uptick in clients ... so this will really help us serve our local community," said Easter.

In addition to providing supplies to those in need, the organization also delivers food and other items such as furniture to those who can’t make it to their location on Chapala.

Unity Shoppe distributes food, clothing, and basic necessities to people impacted by temporary poverty, natural disasters, and health crises.

For more information about Unity Shoppe, visit: https://unityshoppe.org/.