The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Community Fridges / Pantries

ahbramey's picture
ahbramey

Community Fridges / Pantries

Hi all and Happy Halloween! I recently started getting involved with my local community fridge and it's been a really great way to get more involved in my community and contribute a skill and resources I have. Most of my contributions have been breads I've baked - I know from experience having worked at a food pantry that bread is one of the more coveted items. I was thinking that in this community of bakers (and probably passionate cooks - I also occasionally cook meals for the fridge), there may be some people interested in getting involved with their local fridge. I love baking for the fridge because it lets me get practice in my favorite hobby, gives me the opportunity to try new recipes and techniques, and it's a way for me to make my neighborhood a better place where we all look out for each other. 

This website has a database and map of community fridges globally. Maybe you're interested in using it to see if there's a fridge close enough to you that you could contribute to (check first that your fridge accepts homemade food).

Is anyone else on here already working with their local community fridge? I'd love to hear more about it if you are!

happycat's picture
happycat

This might be one of those give a man a fish / teach a man to fish situations.

Here flour is crazy cheap... if people baked bread or participated in a bread baking co-op kitchen, they would make friends, connections, and be more self sufficient at much lower cost.

ahbramey's picture
ahbramey

The point of the community fridge is to engage in mutual aid - I'm sure most of us here have shared a loaf with a friend/neighbor/family member, and this is the same concept. Take what you need / leave what you can; share your excess. I have the means (money, time, skills, equipment) to bake bread from scratch (or get it from the store if I wanted) and to bake more than what I need for myself. Not everyone is in that position for many reasons. Flour and other ingredients might be cheap (to you) but it's a time and energy investment to make bread, even if you choose a simple recipe, and people with small budgets and/or busy lives might not have the room to experiment/practice like you must when you first start baking. And not everyone who is served by community fridges may have access to a kitchen - in my neighborhood, there are some homeless people who use the fridge. 

If you're in a community where you could create or participate a bread baking co-op kitchen, I think that's great for all the reasons you said! But I think that resource serves a different purpose than a community fridge. 

happycat's picture
happycat

I've seen amazing transformations in people when they experience personal agency. There is a change so fundamental in the way they see themselves, their potential for growth.

In workshops, classes and research I've done, I am always kicking myself for doing too much and not involving participants more.

ahbramey's picture
ahbramey

You cannot "personal change" your way out of food insecurity. The point of a community fridge is not to teach people a skill, it's to provide food to people who otherwise do not have food. 

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

Here we have what are called Blessing Boxes. They are small cupboards with a roof installed curbside in a number of neighbourhoods where you can donate food items or take what you need. Some are installed next to schools or churches but many are in front of private houses. They were very well received by both the people filling them and those in need. 
I don’t generally donate to one simply because there isn’t one close to me but what I do to help those in need, is to bake loaves each weekend and give them to my friends for a $5 donation. All the money collected goes to a local soup kitchen. Every little bit helps. 

ahbramey's picture
ahbramey

The Blessing Boxes sound so cool! And I love the donation idea! What a nice way to support.