How do I start a community fridge?
Read “How to Start a Community Fridge” for more details!
Steps include:
- Research. Before you do anything, look at other fridges and see what they’ve done – especially look for ones in your area.
- Partner.
- Policies and Best Practices.
- Build a Team.
- The Fridge.
- Fundraising/Donations.
- Social Media and Promotion.
How do community fridges work?
Organizers partner with hosts who are connected to their communities, and place fridges in areas that face food apartheid. Organizers also participate in food rescue efforts, partnering with supermarkets, local businesses, and even other food assistance groups to save food that would otherwise be discarded.
Who can use a community fridge?
Now in 2021, we have an exciting new partnership with Co-op, helping to expand the network to 250 community fridges over the next year. A community fridge can be accessed by anyone and everyone who wants to share food, volunteer or get involved with other food, environment or related activities the group have to offer.
Are community fridges good?
“Community fridges are wonderful, they’re not institutionalized, they’re not big business. They’re a friendly way for neighbors to take care of one another,” he says. “I think of them in the vein of little free libraries that have popped up all over the place.
How much does a community fridge cost?
In Freedge’s guide, the organization says the starting cost for fridges in its network ranges from $500 to $1,000, and monthly electricity costs are generally around $15 a month.