Food Storage Building

Construction projects always take longer than anticipated! Progress is being made on the much-needed food storage building at SOAR.

The location for the food shed has been cleared of overhanging trees. The location leveled and graveled. A 12′ x 28′ storage building was brought in. The interior insulation and wall covering are about complete! Next up is the electrician to wire the outlets and hook to the nearby power pole.

27 July 2019 exterior of new food storage building at SOAR.

31 July 2019 interior almost completed on new food storage building at SOAR.

When SOAR’s facility was planned and built, approximately 100 wild bird patients were admitted each year. Over the years, the admission rate has more than tripled. To accommodate this number of patients, flight areas have been added, but birds needing intensive care have to be kept warm in the winter and cool in the summer. As climate controlled space is limited, intensive care patients have had to share space with food storage freezers and food preparation areas. The combined heat output from the freezer units makes it difficult to keep intensive care rooms at an appropriate temperature. The stand-alone structure is near the facility and will house all the freezers.

Our thanks to the Avangrid Foundation and the Community Foundation of Carroll County for contributing to this project.

How exciting will it be that when food shipments arrive, we can load them into the freezers without disturbing patients in intensive care. With SOAR’s current patient load, freezers are emptied and refilled approximately every six weeks.