“The savings from this array will make it possible for us to do more for our people. For example, it could double the amount of food we can serve in our dining room, or cover the cost of the insulin we provide to diabetic patients.”
Jim Peckham, executive director
Just before Thanksgiving 2013, Black Rock Solar completed installation of a 130-panel photovoltaic array on the roof of Friends in Service Helping (FISH). That means 28 kilowatts of clean energy helping FISH provide medical services, groceries, showers, clean clothes, and yes, a Thanksgiving meal to those in Carson City who needed it most.
The $112,000 array was built at no cost to the nonprofit. Funded through an NV Energy rebate and a $15,000 crowd-funding campaign conducted by Black Rock Solar, FISH will now save more than $5,000 each year on its power bills. That adds up to $125,000 over the next 25 years – money that FISH can reinvest in its goal of giving the homeless and needy “not just a handout, but a hand up.”
FISH has been serving Northern Nevada’s homeless and hungry since 1979. A non-profit organization based in Carson City, it operates multiple thrift stores, a counseling center, a dining room and food pantry, shelter facilities and a medical clinic. FISH is the most complete services provider in Northern Nevada, serving 18,337 people in 2012 alone.
