NEW YORK – A new affordable community refrigerator opened on Thursday morning on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a first facility for the neighborhood in hopes of fighting food insecurity.
The Community Fridge is located on the NYCHA Holmes Towers campus at 1780 1st Avenue. The goal is to be open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The site will provide fresh produce and non-perishable items sealed in a “get what you need, leave what you can” way.
This comes as a collaborative effort between nonprofits Grassroots Grocery and Gotham Food Pantry with Central Synagogue joining as a sponsor. The NYCHA Holmes Tenants Association is committed to providing daily volunteer support.
“In this particular development, most of the residents are elderly, so they don’t work and don’t have a fixed income. Those inflated food prices are hitting everyone and it means they have to make cutting decisions. fresh food, ”Grassroots Grocery co-founder and CEO Daniel Zauderer told our sister network NBC New York.
Zauderer believes that offering this option to residents “no questions asked” speaks to the need to fight for food justice at the hyper-local level. He hopes this will create an engaging space for retailers and residents to engage.
About 1.5 million New Yorkers currently struggle to find adequate meals with 1 in 4 urban children facing food insecurity, according to data collected by Collected in the city. Visits to food pantries increased nearly 70% in 2022 compared to before the pandemic.
In 2020, black and Latino residents were nearly twice as likely to report less access to emergency food services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the summary. New York Health.
“Providing a physical address where the problem is most acute and then partnering with local retailers and neighbors to transport excess food to the areas of greatest need is the basis for systemic change. A food justice system, ”said Douglas Silver, executive director of the Gotham Food Pantry.
New Yorkers can sign up as volunteers to stock up or clean the refrigerator. Pre-packaged and prepared meals placed in a transparent container labeled with the preparation date and any allergens are accepted.
