FLEMINGTON, NJ – Many thanks to the initiatives and foresight of a Hunterdon County 11th grade college student and his family, the Flemington Space Food stuff Pantry is properly-outfitted for 2021 and past with a inexperienced initiative to electric power components of its facility applying solar vitality.
On Nov. 18, county officials joined the food items pantry for a ribbon-reducing to celebrate its new 33-kilowatt solar panel technique set up on the roof. The photo voltaic panels are planned to support cut down some of its annual electricity bill of $10,556 (as pointed out in 2019).
At the Board of Picked Freeholders Dec. 1 meeting, North Hunterdon Substantial Faculty junior Evan Kuster was identified for his initiatives to volunteer and aid the Flemington Region Meals Pantry, and in distinct with this progressive undertaking.
Kuster his father, Tom, discussed the objectives of checking out strategies to aid an in-demand from customers, dependable neighborhood nonprofit corporation in the food stuff pantry with its need to have to minimize its carbon footprint and plan for much more sustainable, inexpensive electricity use at the facility on Route 31.
Tom Kuster is professional in all engineering and small business elements of the solar electrical power development sector, at the moment the CEO for Merit SI, LLC, a photo voltaic engineering agency centered in Clinton. Many years in the past, he said, he released his son to the business, and numerous good influences and interests have created owing to this practical experience.

Evan Kuster said he is lucky to function on this job, giving back though combining two of his pursuits with a outstanding local community-oriented venture.
“Being close to my dad and his company’s photo voltaic engineering do the job I was uncovered to the subject a large amount, and last summer time I took an environmental sustainability training course,” Kuster mentioned. “The innovations and doing work to locate new answers, dilemma-resolving with creativity, appeals to me. I have always been intrigued in climate modify and helping our planet. Sustainability is an curiosity and aim as I continue on my education. I would like to examine extra and inevitably operate in a S.T.E.M. discipline, no matter if that’s pursuing an engineering degree with a minor in environmental sustainability, or a relevant subject matter.”
He told the freeholder board Dec. 1 that the solar array has a few important benefits. 1st, it will help you save cash spent on electricity payments, and the income saved can be invested on foodstuff for Hunterdon County families and people in have to have.
The probable 40-calendar year beneficial life of the solar panels will benefit the meals pantry’s functions for many years to appear, with eco-friendly infrastructure and sustainability, Kuster mentioned.
3rd, Kuster stated, this task supplied the Flemington space and Hunterdon County with an illustration of how companies can be part of collectively in a collective aim, allocating their time, cash and knowledge to gain the local community and for the larger fantastic.
Freeholder Board Deputy Director Sue Soloway and Freeholder Zach Abundant attended the Nov. 18 ribbon cutting for the new solar array at the Flemington Spot Food items Pantry.
“As a youthful volunteer at the food items pantry, Evan observed a will need, and rather of expressing ‘what if,’ he actually adopted via with this outstanding idea,” she claimed. “He spoke with his father Tom about it and the two of them collaborated and approached photo voltaic field corporations, they got the panels and products donated and electricians to appear operate wires for the installation. Kudos and thank you, Evan.”


Kuster’s photo voltaic panel array idea was to start with talked about just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic’s spread back again in March and the ensuing shutdowns across big sections of the region’s financial state. Final winter, whilst volunteering on-web-site, he first informally talked about the solar venture concept with Jeannine Gorman, govt director of the Flemington Spot Foods Pantry.
Prior to the pandemic and continuing through spring, summer season and slide, Kuster was volunteering at the Flemington Location Foodstuff Pantry by unloading donations of food items that arrived off vans, stocking the shelves and wiping down the browsing carts purchasers use. While volunteering, he observed the weighty use of the meals pantry’s freezers and fridges as additional meals requirements to be stored fresh and cooled for individuals who inevitably decide on up the groceries.
Right after bringing his concept to Gorman in April, Kuster set collectively and sent, via Zoom, his presentation on a photo voltaic venture and its possible funding to the food items pantry’s nonprofit board of administrators. Recognizing the ambitions of a vibrant pupil volunteer, and with visits to the foodstuff pantry acquiring multiplied due to the financial downturn and meals insecurity seasoned by a lot more folks, supporting the corporation in a new way was evidently a welcome endeavor.
The board voted to approve Kuster’s task shortly after.
“After Jeannine gave him the go-ahead, Evan worked with people on my group, and they submitted the solar proposal to Jersey Central Energy & Light (utility carrier for the Food stuff Pantry) to make guaranteed it would be authorized,” Tom Kuster explained. “By the time of his formal presentation right before the board, we currently uncovered the utilities could approve and coordinate with this as very well, and the food items pantry’s board was quite supportive. I give the pantry’s board and leadership a great deal of credit rating as they took the gamble that a substantial university student could provide in ample donations to make this interesting project happen.”
His son was nevertheless a sophomore at North Hunterdon when this proposal was delivered. Whilst a lot of area pupils have been acquiring some summertime leisure things to do, Evan Kuster was functioning on the photo voltaic project, and he reported this offered a time for the initiatives to be focused in comparison with the rigorous curriculum and scholastic pursuits as he entered his junior 12 months.
Kuster shared the favourable areas volunteering can give his peers and other folks in the county. He and his father also famous their good encounters volunteering with America’s Expand-a-Row in Pittstown. The Hunterdon County farm, established and operate by Chip Paillex with his daughter Kyra, donates its create to the Flemington Area Food Pantry and other charitable and outreach companies in the county and region.
To date, the Hunterdon County-based mostly nonprofit has donated 12.58 million pounds of contemporary fruits and veggies to charity.
“One fairly uncomplicated matter any college student or any individual in Hunterdon County can do is just be ready to donate your time in the community, volunteer at the Flemington Location Food Pantry or in one thing else,” Kuster reported. “Just offering back again is a great effort for large faculty learners in individual, and I will go on to volunteer at the food items pantry and in the local community and I am hopeful far more prospects to do photo voltaic assignments that enable the neighborhood arrive up.”
Kuster performs issue guard on the North Hunterdon Large College boys basketball workforce, and with the time postponed, he planned out periods this month to be current at the foods pantry.
Soloway pointed out before in the fall that there has been a spectacular surge with guidance by the nonprofit, with about 400 newly “enrolled” Hunterdon family members serviced by the Flemington Space Foods Pantry, none of whom necessary the assistance prior to the pandemic. Above the 1st six months of 2020, a 30 percent enhance in consumer participation with the food pantry was recorded.
On its web page, the pantry notes that, “Some of our consumers are homeless, other people may be residing in government-supported motels or flats. However other people might be long-time residents of Hunterdon County and are managing to stay in their very own households, but do not have adequate profits to order food. All purchasers meet up with eligibility needs that intently comply with individuals of The Emergency Meals Guidance Plan (TEFAP) of the U.S. Section of Agriculture.”
With about 17 yrs in the photo voltaic engineering industry, Tom Kuster and his colleagues at the Clinton office environment have a potent regional community of suppliers, vendors and contacts. Evan Kuster despatched letters to several firms and little enterprises, soliciting their donations to the meals pantry photo voltaic undertaking.
Tom Kuster described the neighborhood of people today who made a decision to appear alongside one another for the unified target of supporting the initiative his son laid out for the Flemington Area Food Pantry.
When quite a few New Jersey location solar field organizations delivered incredibly considerable funding or supplies, from wiring, mounting, the scissor elevate to obtain the roof and a Sunny Tripower Main1 inverter (donated by SMA America), others pitched in with the donations of their time, competencies and know-how. That provided Flemington-centered Professional Circuit Electrical Contracting, installers of the new rooftop photo voltaic array.
“We witnessed the electrical power of this state’s solar sector community coming alongside one another, and, regardless of the pandemic, they’ve all contributed to this job and it took a whole lot of coordinated exertion,” Tom Kuster said. “Many individuals stepped ahead and aided out by making use of their items to get this finished. Pro Circuit provided the professional bono electrical and typical labor, the time of their electricians and these fellas here in Flemington came through to install it on what was their off times. I give these gentlemen a ton of credit history.”
The installations of the panels and their operation was concluded by the to start with 50 percent of November, and just a couple of insignificant punch record goods stay exceptional, Kuster stated. He observed that the panels are mounted at the back of the developing because that does not develop an unpleasing aesthetic effect for the exterior.
Kuster mentioned that although numerous contracting, development and relevant industries noticed challenges throughout the pandemic, he is thankful that the initiatives ended up aided because of to steady company for his field as solar installations and the relevant engineering and contracting business ended up deemed as a single of the vital corporations or important infrastructure industries during the pandemic, hence continuing to run through this year.
“I give Gov. (Phil) Murphy credit history for recognizing the solar engineering marketplace, with its suppliers and suppliers, as an necessary section of the condition,” he explained.

Gorman has famous, as created in the county’s proclamation for Evan Kuster, the price tag-financial savings the 33-kilowatt system could reach for the regional nonprofit business, what she estimates as the expense for 6,360 foods the foodstuff pantry will offer to Hunterdon County citizens.
For information and facts on donating, remember to go to flemingtonfoodpantry.org or get in touch with 908-788-5568.