Corporations donate, set up HVAC system for native nonprofit

NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia (WAVY) – Each week, over 40 volunteers work in the THRIVE Peninsula grocery room packing grocery bags for families in need.

However, officials say the facility lacks the necessary HVAC systems to cope with the summer heat.

“The pantry is the largest room in the building and because it houses commercial freezers and refrigerators that generate a lot of heat, it can be very difficult to keep the room cool,” said Angela York, executive director of THRIVE Peninsula. “In fact, the temperature in the pantry can reach 80 degrees in summer. It’s not a good environment for our volunteers who are already working hard. “

Warwick Mechanical Foundation volunteers are expected to work with Damuth Trane to install a new air system on Saturday morning to provide cooler airflow to the pantry.

“We had enough space in our building to serve our customers until the pandemic broke out. Then we received a flood of donations and appeals for help and we ran out of space almost overnight, ”said York.

This new HVAC system completes a six month renovation of the facility. A press release from THRIVE said the renovations were all done by volunteers and donations.

A new kitchenette was added as a “volunteer recognition station” as part of a $ 5,000 grant from Ferguson and a donation from Pompeii. The First United Methodist Church Foundation in Newport News provided an additional $ 5,000 that was used to purchase a new commercial three-door refrigerator.