CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – With the help of a $215,000 City of Charlottesville distribution of HUD funds, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank celebrated the opening of a new and larger cold storage facility at its Harris Street location that stores triple the amount of food from previously. Mayor JuanDiego Wade wheeled in some of the first food items into the refrigeration unit on one side, and on the other side is a freezer unit that maintains temperatures below-zero. Food Bank CEO Michael McKee said this will help feed huge demand with some 22,000 neighbors requesting help, many of them needing fresh fruits and vegetables.

McKee says this new facility triples the local cold storage capacity whereas in the past they’ve had to turn down fresh fruits and vegetables donations due to lack of room.