It’s been several months since we brought you the article on the solar project we’ve been putting together for our friends at the homeless shelter Joy Junction.  We are almost to the finish line! While a few of you may have missed the project over the holidays last year, we are happy to see how many of you saw it and rose to the challenge. Several of our partners and customers stepped up to contribute, and for this, we are immensely proud and grateful. We could not have made it this far without them. Please join me in giving virtual “snaps” to our generous donors so far:

• SunPro
• CED Greentech: Pacific Northwest and Southwest
• Vector Structural Engineering, LLC 
• BayWa r.e. Solar Systems

The generosity of individuals and businesses in the solar industry continues to surprise and delight all of us here at Unirac. We would be remiss in not recognizing members of the Unirac team who went above and beyond to help bring this project to fruition. Our thanks and gratitude go out to Klaus Nicolaedis and Todd Ganshaw. They brought us the project in the first place. Our inhouse solar design advisor, Jon Neal, and our solar permitting champion Sai Uppu were brilliant. They worked up the design and permitting packets that were needed and made several adjustments and edits along the way. Our west coast and central sales teams were instrumental in soliciting donors. Thank you for your tenacity. We also want to recognize Peter Lorenz, our CEO, and the Unirac leadership team that has supported “Better Solar For All” since inception. Thank you for your vision. If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us anything about our industry, it is that we are resilient, we are tenacious, and we care about our fellow human beings. All of you are solar believers and—much more—you are solar heroes.

Joy Junction is an organization here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that provides critical assistance to the underserved and lends a helping hand up, not just a handout. The incredibly vulnerable homeless families and individuals that they serve have no means to self-quarantine or shelter-in-place. Although they are a faith-based organization, they do not discriminate based on sex, sexual orientation, race, color, age, national origin, or religion. No one is turned away and more importantly, families are kept together. This distinguishes them from other shelters in the area. The needs of the organization are even more pronounced than they were pre-COVID-19, and we can ease some of that burden through this solar project. Going solar will help the organization divert hundreds of dollars a month away from electricity costs and towards the important work they do in our community every single day.

We aim to inspire you to do more than just writing a check to Joy Junction. We want to make a tangible impact. We hope this project inspires you to reach out and help in your community. If you are in the greater Albuquerque area and are moved to do something for Joy Junction, please donate or volunteer directly with the organization. There are many ways that you can help. We will have onsite collection boxes the day of the install for non-perishable food items.

The installation is slated for October 20, 2020, barring any residual COVID-19 impact or delays.

During this global pandemic, we are reminded that there is still great need in our communities, and we encourage you to remember that we are in this together. If you are moved to do something closer to home, we would love to hear about it. How do you “do well by doing good?” How do you give with purpose? How do you embody the essence of #BetterSolarForAll? We would love for you to share your stories with us. Post about it on your social media and use #BetterSolarForAll and tag us @uniracsolar on Instagram. Stay tuned for more updates over the coming weeks as we continue to spotlight Joy Junction and our generous donors.