Support Allerton's Community Fridge Restoration

Update, June 16: WOW!!! Today we just hit our goal of $1500!!! We are struggling to find the words to express our gratitude for you all. Local teachers, activists, business owners, community board members and other neighbors have come forward to hold us down during this setback. THANK YOU!!! This gift will not only help with the cost of replacing the fridge, but also paying for the ongoing expenses of keeping the fridge going: gas to pick up and drop off food, electricity, garbage removal, etc. We will update you in the coming days and weeks as we are able to put this funding to good use. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank the community so much.

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The Allerton Allies Fridge is a community fridge founded by a small group of Allerton neighbors in 2020. For four years, resident and local businessman Ignacio of Affinity Tires & Co has hosted this fridge. He and a small group of passionate community members have shouldered the cost of electric, garbage removal, and more. All of this ensures this small but mighty fridge regularly provides healthy, nourishing foods to our neighbors.

On Tuesday evening, June 11th, a group of teenagers vandalized and destroyed this community fridge. The fridge is currently entirely out of service. We are in the ongoing process of identifying these young people so we can hold them accountable as a community. Once identified, we will ask them to repair the harm done by engaging in service work to maintain the fridge.

Right now, are asking for small dollar donations — whatever you can spare — to help get our fridge back on its feet. Your contributions will go toward replacing the fridge, or if we are able to receive a donated fridge, toward the cost of electric and garbage removal. We believe in transparency, and will update this page to show you exactly how your donations have helped support this work.

This fridge is a labor of love. The Allerton section of the Bronx is, as are many neighboring Bronx communities, a food desert. In Allerton, nutritious, high quality food options are hard to access, or else prohibitively expensive. We know this work is vital. We know that our neighbors deserve food that nourishes and sustains their bodies and spirits. Please join us in this work by donating and also by sharing this fundraiser widely.

All power to the people. We keep us safe!