Friendly Fridge Foundation

May 18th, 2020, was the 7th anniversary of Michael Raven’s passing. Michael was extraordinarily passionate about creating access to healthy food for everyone and advocated relentlessly for fresh produce to be available in food desserts. In his work, he often said, “No one should go hungry” .

On that day, while scrolling through Instagram we came upon a post for a Community Fridge that had recently been installed on the sidewalk in Harlem for people in the community who needed some extra help.

Three days later we had The Friendly Fridge BX up and running with the help of electricity provided by The Last Stop. A year later, the Fridge was relocated a few yards away at Jerusalem Cafe. Plugged in on the sidewalk at 5983 Broadway, the Fridge is open 24/7 and is available to anyone who needs healthy food.

1 in 6 Americans will experience food insecurity at some point and this number is growing during the pandemic. In the time since the Fridge has been plugged in, we’ve talked with folks who have expressed sincere gratitude for the resource as they work to make ends meet. As such, the Fridge is filled up and emptied on an average of 5 or 6 times a day. The Fridge moves approximately 5-7 thousand pounds of food weekly.

Mothers, fathers, senior citizens, students, cab drivers, home care attendants and so many more are stopping by the Fridge to take a few things to help supplement their groceries. One mother talked about how the gallons of milk go straight to her growing teenage boys while another mother was so excited to find fresh peppers, onions, tomatoes and beans to make a nutritious meal for her family.

As one women recently said to us, “Hunger has no name.” And she’s right. She added, “I love when I come here, it’s always clean and there’s always fresh produce. No questions are asked. I don't have to give my personal information."

The Friendly Fridge BX is a part of collective efforts rooted firmly in mutual aid. Working together with volunteers and other community fridges, the goal is to provide quality foods directly to the community.

The Fridge is incredibly grateful for individual donations of groceries and yet the need continues to grow. Therefore we need your help as we build sustainable partnerships with farmers markets, community gardens, pantries and other community organizations in our efforts to rescue and redirect foods. These sources will help to supply the Fridge with fresh, locally-sourced produce and prepared meals.

All donated funds go toward:

- Purchasing fresh produce from surrounding farms and local wholesalers who support the community fridge movement

- Transportation and logistics of both donated and rescued foods

Over the past three years since our inception, we’ve learned a tremendous deal about food waste, its impact on the environment around us and the power it holds to alleviate hunger for so many. Run entirely by a team of volunteers, the Friendly Fridge BX is all about community-based solutions. Our hyper-focused mission this year is developing and strengthening partnerships within our community to redirect good food from the landfills and instead, sharing this food with anyone who may need a little extra help. 

We currently partner with over 25 schools, pantries, community centers, restaurants, catering companies, farms, CSAs and other organizations to redirect extra foods directly into the community.

We now redirect approximately 27,000lbs of food per week from the landfills.

"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." – Margaret J. Wheatley

For almost three years, the Friendly Fridge BX -a community refrigerator has sat in its place on the sidewalk, happily serving its purpose of providing access to food for anyone who needs a little extra help. This includes all of us -mothers, fathers, senior citizens, hardworking folks, houseless, students, grandmothers….and so many more. The surrounding community and beyond have shown incredible support in so many ways and more importantly, the Fridge has been safeguarded by so many neighbors, nearby businesses and dedicated volunteers.

Sadly, this past Saturday morning brought horrible news of the Fridge experiencing an appalling act of vandalism. We found the inside of the Fridge drenched in black paint from an upturned gallon, rendering it unusable. Because this unfortunate and incredibly selfish act affects hundreds of folks who come to the Fridge to get food daily, we want to move quickly to get the Fridge back up and running.

When the news of this incident was shared, SO many people reached out and asked how to help. It's astounding yet not surprising because as Mr. Roger's mama told him, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

We investigated the option of cleaning it all out but the paint that was dumped is toxic and it went down into the motor -which will send fumes up into the food inside. It has been determined that it will be much safer to purchase a new refrigerator. This is where the community needs your help!

This is what this your donated funds will go towards:

1. New industrial glass door refrigerator exactly like the current one = $2174. We have used standard home refrigerators in the past however the glass doors save a sizable amount of electricity by allowing folks to see what is inside without opening the door. Additionally, the space of this refrigerator is conducive to the amount of food that is now coming in.

2. Removal and disposal of the current refrigerator = $300. It's heavy! And needs to be disposed of in a safe manner.

3. Construction of a security door that will be used to lock the Fridge at night =$500. This is unfortunate but necessary as the new Fridge will need to be safeguarded. Volunteers are already lined up to help open and close the Fridge on a daily basis -which is wonderful!

Additional Notes:

Some folks have already sent a total of $575 to help. If more than the asked amount is raised, all extras will go towards warm meals and sandwiches purchased from local delis and restaurants that have been partnering with the Friendly Fridge BX. It's a win-win situation.

All of your donations will be tax-deductible. The Friendly Fridge Foundation is 100% volunteer-run and has no administrative costs. (No one makes money from this non-profit.) All funds go directly to purchasing meals, sandwiches and produce as well as transportation of redirected foods.

Thank you again for your kind words, thoughtful actions and continued support. This community refrigerator exists because of all of you. Pa'lante!