United Against Poverty Orlando celebrates new freezers and fridges after hurricane hardships

Nearly $1M raised to replace units after Hurricane Ian

The store, part of the Member Share Grocery Program, is located on West Michigan Street and helps hundreds of families with food insecurities by offering items of up to 70% off compared to a traditional store.

However, the store went through a huge challenge over the last year after Hurricane Ian in 2022, which damaged most of its freezers and coolers, limiting products for shoppers.

“This warehouse is very, very old, and it had challenges on the electrical wiring to trying to get it to a capacity to be able to function,” said Anjali Vaya with United Against Poverty Orlando.

Thanks to local organizations and UAP partners, nearly $1 million was raised to help buy new freezers, refrigerators and coolers for UP Orlando’s Member Marketplace, replacing units that were damaged by Hurricane Ian.