LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Lynchburg branch of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank has a new cooler it says will help it do a better job keeping produce fresh for the 18,000 people it serves in Central Virginia.
Â
Kroger, among the nation's largest chains, donated $30,000 to the organization for the new cooler.
Â
Compared to with the one it replaces, the new cooler is much wider and taller, meaning it can hold in more food.
Â
Organizers say it will also help keep their produce fresh.
Â
 “We couldn’t stage our produce orders and if we did we have to stage them ahead of time, but they’d be in ambient temperature,” James Quade, Lynchburg branch manager, said.
Â
“Having a new cooler will allow us to double the capacity to distribute fresh produce, which is so vital for people with diet-related diseases,” Michael McKee, CEO of Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, said.
Last year, the Lynchburg area food bank distributed 1 million pounds of food out of the smaller cooler and hopes to do more with the new one.Â