Community Fridges are communal places where surplus food is shared with the local community by local businesses and individuals. So far, they've helped thousands of people connect to their communities, access nutritious food, save money and reduce waste. They are a proven way of stopping good food from winding up in the trash. Surplus food is provided by local businesses or members of the public, and is then available for collection by people who need it. Community Fridges are housed in accessible public spaces, making surplus perishable food freely available to all community members. Community Fridges work on the honor system.
Over 3 months, one Community Fridge can:
Redistribute 12 tons of food waste,
Save households and community groups over $10,000 worth of food
Provide local employment opportunities.
Community Fridges are also known as Solidarity Fridges and Honesty Fridges. They have been successfully introduced in Spain, Germany, the UK, and Ireland, and are starting to take hold in the U.S. Each fridge operates in different ways depending on local circumstances. Demand for Community Fridges has been growing very quickly and Hubbub, based in London has recently launched The Community Fridge Network to support new Fridges and build a supportive, collaborative network of people to share resources and experiences.
For US fridges, they will help to navigate local laws around health and safety and provide you with as much knowledge and information as possible to help get your Fridge off the ground.
Find out exactly what's involved in our 5 Step Guide.
Community Fridges are communal places where surplus food is shared with the local community by local businesses and individuals. So far, they've helped thousands of people connect to their communities, access nutritious food, save money and reduce waste. They are a proven way of stopping good food from winding up in the trash. Surplus food is provided by local businesses or members of the public, and is then available for collection by people who need it. Community Fridges are housed in accessible public spaces, making surplus perishable food freely available to all community members. Community Fridges work on the honor system.
Over 3 months, one Community Fridge can:
Redistribute 12 tons of food waste,
Save households and community groups over $10,000 worth of food
Provide local employment opportunities.
Community Fridges are also known as Solidarity Fridges and Honesty Fridges. They have been successfully introduced in Spain, Germany, the UK, and Ireland, and are starting to take hold in the U.S. Each fridge operates in different ways depending on local circumstances. Demand for Community Fridges has been growing very quickly and Hubbub, based in London has recently launched The Community Fridge Network to support new Fridges and build a supportive, collaborative network of people to share resources and experiences.
For US fridges, they will help to navigate local laws around health and safety and provide you with as much knowledge and information as possible to help get your Fridge off the ground.
Find out exactly what's involved in our 5 Step Guide.
ICWEN COMMUNITY FRIDGE is being launched at the Inner City Women’s Empowerment Network, NFP and is for women and their families in the Chicago area.
This initiative will benefit the community in many ways. It will provide food for the body, energy & motivation for the mind and healing for the inner spirit. The families that use ICWEN Community Fridge will also have access to free services provided by ICWEN (training and development, program services, and support groups, etc).
One of the goals is to have conversations around food distribution events for women & their families to talk about their needs, desires and discover their purpose and passion for doing work they think is important to them and their community. ICWEN helps people to discover and develop their potential and partners with them as they begin their missions that will yield stronger support within the communities.
As we partner with the Community Joy Garden and the Neighborship Network in the community, ICWEN encourages women and their families to participate in the ICWEN vegetable beds in the garden and learn about growing their own personal vegetable and fruit beds at home.
ICWEN will offer training events on proper nutrition, how to prepare simple delicious healthy food and nutrition counseling to those that are interested.
Community Chefs will be invited to speak on cooking (personal and professional), training on licensing requirements for those that may be interested in working at restaurants and/or starting their own business. These trainings create opportunities for employment as well as volunteerism within the community.
ICWEN is developing partnerships with grocery stores and restaurants to donate unused food to the ICWEN Community Fridge. This relationship building helps in the future launching of the ICWEN Food Pantry.
Funding provided by Change X will be used for:
• The purchase of refrigerators and a freezer, ICWEN Community Fridge Sign, bags, boxes and labels for food distribution, paper & toner for flyer distribution in the community, Tee Shirts for ICWEN Community Fridge Events
• Advertisement in community newspapers
• Social media coordinator to maintain all social media for the ICWEN Community Fridge
• Producing Evaluations and Surveys that will provide pertinent information to determine the impact of this initiative to Change X
Blessings Dr Sanders. Thanks for helping the needy and not the greedy. I thank God for being able to partner with you for the benefit of the community and his kingdom.
I believe in ICWEN because they offer a space to women that allows them to learn and develop skills that will potentially provide them with an opportunity to gain additional skills and acquire the resources that will empower them.
Many thanks and blessings to the brainchild of ICWEN, Ms. Barbara Sanders.
I absolutely love and support ICWEN and there commitment to leave a lasting impression on the community and the lives that is being touched through the different services rendered. Together we will Recover All! Thank you!
Thomas, George, Lynette, LaTonya, Michelle- thank each of you for joining ICWEN COMMUNITY FRIDGE. Have great ideas and cannot wait to share with you how it relates to you and your purposes. Need to get a photo of you together.