The rise of the free food fridge

How community fridges alleviate waste and address food insecurity.

AuthorAuthor

Lena Beck & Modern Farmer
July 21, 2024

Hello! Lena here, staff writer at Modern Farmer.

A few newsletters ago, we wrote about food grown in unusual places—like the rooftops of hospitals. Several of you wrote in with reactions and additional examples. (Which I love reading. Thank you!)

So, I’m hoping you’ll like this new group of articles we have for you, all about food found in unusual places: brightly decorated fridges on sidewalks.

Community fridges are a type of mutual aid project by and for the communities in which they’re located. Whether you’ve never heard of community fridges, work with one, use them, or want to start one of your own, this lineup of stories has something for you. Here’s what’s been published so far—with more coming out next week:

  • This explainer that provides a nice overview of what community fridges are and how they help alleviate food waste and address food insecurity.

  • This guide to help you to find a fridge or start a fridge.

  • This spotlight on a food bank that started a 40-acre farm to grow fresh produce for its community fridge.

A woman stocks a community fridge with fresh produce

Filling a community fridge | Photo: Emma Kazaryan

Also fresh this week

An illustration with a green background featuring an empty plate and a farmworker.

Grist / Eva Marie Uzcategui / The Washington Post via Getty Images; Joe Raedle / Getty Images

In addition to heat-related illnesses, exposure to fertilizers and pesticides, and the ever-present risk of labor exploitation, America's farmworkers face another escalating threat: Hunger. Co-published with Grist.

Raised beds growing green produce.

Montclair Community Farms | Photo: Kimberly Izar

Urban farms in Essex County, NJ, are calling on municipal and state governments for long-term investment. Via The Jersey Bee and Next City.

Look out for more community fridge coverage next week! In the meantime, we’ve been running a poll over on social media to gauge our community’s awareness of community fridges. If you’re on Instagram, check it out and view the results, here.

Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next week!

~LB

Community Action Corner

In the course of our reporting, we come across great pieces of actionable advice from our community. Each week we are featuring an action, resource, or extra to help you support a more equitable and resilient food system.

Weekly Action | Want to know if there’s a community fridge in your town? Check out Freedge to find out. 

Hungry for more? Check out the Modern Farmer Solutions Hub for more actionable advice and resources.