While not visible to those passing by, something new decorates the rooftop of TABLE’s downtown Carrboro facility — solar panels that will allow the local food pantry to serve more than 40,000 more meals over the next three decades. They were installed earlier this month as a partnership with the UNC student-led club SolarEquity, which strives to reduce energy burdens for low-income communities and create a more sustainable future.
On March 27, members of the Chapel Hill and Carrboro communities, students, and partners of the project gathered at the food bank to celebrate the 18 new solar panels with a ribbon-cutting. On the particularly sunny day, the event featured speeches from TABLE’s team and members of SolarEquity — the driving force behind the project.
The ribbon-cutting took place at TABLE’s downtown Carrboro facility on March 27. Attendees included community members and local partners of the project, like SolarEquity, the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club, Southern Energy Management, and more. (Photo by Emma Cooke/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
The campus organization is dedicated to leading solar installation projects across North Carolina, typically for affordable housing developments. But SolarEquity President Caroline White said the club was presented with a different kind of opportunity to serve the community after Blue Ridge Power donated it commercial grade panels last year.
“They could not go on [a] residence,” White said. “They couldn’t go on any kind of low income housing, which are the projects we usually do.”
“And as we started looking to food pantries, TABLE pretty much became the obvious answer,” she continued. “Like how incredible they are at being involved in the Orange County community and how they can feed 1,200 kids a week. It really is an incredible organization that we thought, ‘My goodness, we would be lucky to be able to provide solar to them and be able to save them thousands [of dollars].’”
The panels were installed mid-March after more than a year of planning, fundraising, and help from the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club. Over their 30-year lifespan, they will help TABLE save more than $59,000 to then be put towards expanding food access to Orange County’s youth. White said even though low income communities are often the ones that benefit the most from the panels, those communities and the organizations serving them are usually the ones who cannot afford them.
Speaking to the small crowd, SolarEquity’s Vice President Aaron Applegate said the initiative reflects the club’s mission that solar power should be available to everyone.
“I vividly remember sending the first email to TABLE, just trying to judge their willingness to be a part of this project,” Applegate said. “And I was very much struck by their enthusiasm to be part of it. They responded within a few hours of me sending it and were extremely excited to be considered for the project.”
The solar panels will save TABLE more than $59,000 across three decades, equivalent to about 40,000 meals for Orange County’s youth. (Photo by Emma Cooke/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
In addition to advancing the club’s commitment to sustainability, the project is also a way to help reduce some of TABLE’s financial stress. The only food nonprofit exclusively focused on childhood hunger in Orange County, it has worked to provide kids with access to healthy food since 2008. The organization also offers nutrition education programs for families, allowing them to prepare and try new foods. But as a result of dwindling federal support for food assistance programs throughout 2025, several local food banks saw an increased demand for food without the necessary funds to keep up.
Marketing Director Suzanne Tormollen said every dollar TABLE saves as a result of the solar energy goes right back into expanding the number of people the nonprofit can serve.
“These types of projects and the community support will definitely help us continue to keep that waitlist down,” Tormollen said. “And now it’s great. A family can walk in our doors and we don’t have to say, ‘You have to wait six months.’ We can actually sign you up today. So that’s the best part.”
Particularly in the face of rising food costs, SolarEquity’s president said food nonprofits should not have to suffer from rising energy prices too. And by supporting the pantry, she said the impact “trickles down.” At the celebration, TABLE’s Executive Director Ashton Tippons expressed her gratitude for the fact.
“It’s more than just a meal,” she said. “It’s not something that, ‘Oh, we’re just getting meals every week and that’s it.’ It’s more than that. It allows kids the opportunity to figure out what foods they like and experience health and even to be able to succeed in other areas of their lives, school and relationships.”
Featured photo by Emma Cooke/Chapel Hill Media Group.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
