Community Fridges help address food insecurity and eliminate food waste
By Siti Khairi for Zero Waste NYC Workshop
What are Community Fridges?
Despite the possibilities of extreme heat, a different kind of wave hit NYC this summer. Community fridges have sprouted all around the five boroughs to address food insecurity and help reduce food waste. A new kind of food justice movement is born.
Community fridges are publicly accessible fridges, usually found along the sidewalk and stocked with fresh produce and labeled prepared foods. This initiative began so that anyone who struggles to put food on the table, especially during the pandemic, will have access to fresh produce or packaged food—at no cost. These sidewalk fridges depend on community contributions from individuals, families, businesses, and volunteers to continuously restock food, maintain cleanliness, and ensure health and safety. Apartment buildings and businesses such as restaurants, groceries, or delis have agreed to supply energy to keep the fridges cool. Local artists contribute to this community effort by designing the art that goes on the fridges. Communities have come together to help their members!
The first fridge started in February of this year as a response to the pandemic, led by Thadeaus Umpster, who is part of A New World in Our Hearts (In Our Hearts, n.d.). This movement seeks to empower and support the community to fight hunger and waste (Colyar, 2020). Since then, at least 50 fridges have been established and more are on the rise across NYC and NJ. Those in need can approach the community fridges without requiring any information, unlike food pantries, as told by Sade Boyewa El (Colyar, 2020). Boyewa El says that the system is built on community trust and that everyone only takes what they need.
See a map of all community fridges, a collective effort organized by all the community fridges in NYC.
Why Community Fridges are Important
They Feed the Hungry
As many New Yorkers face hardships from COVID-19, access to healthy and fresh produce should not be one of them. Before the pandemic, access to healthy food was expensive for many households as 40% struggled to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, and childcare. Pre-pandemic, 1.5 million New Yorkers faced hunger, which affected 25% of children. That’s larger than the population of San Francisco! (City Harvest, n.d.) These figures will have risen in 2020 as unemployment soared to nearly 20%, which is comparable to the Great Depression of the 1930s (McGeehan, 2020). While there are government food programs such as Get Food NYC, community fridges are a local effort to support families who are struggling.
Reduce Emissions
The United States wastes 30-40% of food each year and 31% of that is at the consumer and retail (grocery) level, which means that over a third of the food grown will be destined for landfill (FDA, 2020). Food waste emits methane gas as it continues to rot, which is roughly 24-25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of its contribution to climate change (EPA, 2015). This means that food waste that ends up in the landfill contributes approximately 14% of total methane emissions, the third-largest source of methane emissions in the United States (USDA, n.d.). Why throw away perfectly good food when it can be given to the community?
Address Food Injustice
The community fridge model, as Umpster calls it, addresses the disparities of those in need, especially for people of color, who are more likely to live in food deserts. These areas have limited access to fresh and affordable produce while having too much access to cheap, fast food. Hence, providing community fridges in these areas has become a unique way of bringing people together to combat injustice, as food, no matter where you’re from, is a way to create bonds and unify people.
Build a Community of Empathy
Community fridges are no stranger to the possibility of having food taken by the same small group of people. To some, this may seem like the select few are choosing to take advantage of resources without being considerate of others in need. The Fort Greene Community Fridge shared an Instagram post that addressed why this happens and why it’s important to respond without getting frustrated and policing the food. Jacquelyn Ekern, a licensed professional counselor, explains that some individuals may have had a long history of food insecurity, wondering when their next meal is, and have tendencies to hoard food for fear of losing it. In other words, they have an anxious relationship with food, and thus, others need to view this not as ungenerous behavior but a result of their circumstances, especially if this behavior began as children. Hence, it is important to “give generously and trust in one another” (Fort Greene Community Fridge, 2020).
Food is not a privilege.
(Source: The Cut)
The fridge model lets the community know that access to healthy food isn’t a privilege. Community organizers such as Jaz Johnson of East Harlem’s community fridge hope this movement will spark better food policy at the state and national levels. But for now, the community is here to do the work.
How to Get Involved
Contribute to your local fridge (food, a fridge, a potential location)
Check your local community fridge for specifics but generally, all community fridges accept fresh produce. So before you’re about to check out at the farmer’s market or grocery store, grab a few extra items! Some may accept pre-made meals but they may have strict guidelines such as requiring a label with a date or specific packing instructions, due to safety reasons.
Volunteer your time and resources
All community fridges need constant restocking, cleaning, and maintenance. Reach out to your local fridge to start! Many of them have also asked New Yorkers who have cars or bikes to help too.
Donate
Most, if not all, community fridges have set up a donation system to support their efforts (check with your local community fridge for more information).
Featured Fridges
Photo sources come from each Community Fridge’s respective Instagram
Related posts:
How to Start Your Own Community Fridge | by Carmen Russo | The Interlude | Jul, 2020
New York's Community Fridges Combat Food Scarcity and Waste
New York City's Community Refrigerators Offer Free Food for Those in Need
How community fridges are fixing a broken food system
Community fridges help feed those in need and let neighbors give back
Community Fridges Across the Country Are Fighting Food Insecurity
Other Food Options and Resources:
Sources
City Harvest. (n.d.). Facts About Hunger. City Harvest. Retrieved August 28, 2020, from https://www.cityharvest.org/facts-about-hunger/
Colyar, B. (2020, July 7). The Secondhand Refrigerators Feeding New Yorkers. The Cut. https://www.thecut.com/2020/07/new-york-community-fridges.html
Community Jar. (n.d.). Community fridge + Pantry on Instagram: “✊🏾.” Retrieved August 28, 2020, from https://www.instagram.com/p/CC4yOM-AcxO/
FDA, C. for F. S. and A. (2020). Food Loss and Waste. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/food-loss-and-waste
Fort Greene Community Fridge. (2020). Fort Greene Community Fridge. Retrieved August 28, 2020, from https://www.instagram.com/p/CERd9QDjbfG/
In Our Hearts. (n.d.-a). History. Retrieved August 28, 2020, from https://inourheartsnyc.org/history/
In Our Hearts. (n.d.-b). Interested in starting and maintaining a community fridge in your neighborhood? Retrieved August 28, 2020, from https://www.instagram.com/p/CCMp1VqDRU3/
McGeehan, P. (2020, July 7). N.Y.C. Unemployment: A Million Jobless Workers—The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/nyregion/nyc-unemployment.html
Russo, C. (2020, July). How to Start Your Own Community Fridge. The Medium. https://medium.com/the-interlude/how-to-start-your-own-community-fridge-537767b4e4d7
US EPA. (2015, December 23). Overview of Greenhouse Gases [Overviews and Factsheets]. US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases
USDA. (n.d.). Why should we care about food waste? Retrieved August 28, 2020, from https://www.usda.gov/foodlossandwaste/why