Where to find communal refrigerators in Boston
Food
These constantly stocked refrigerators in Boston provide mutual assistance to Boston residents facing food insecurity.
Last year saw an increase in food insecurity nationwide as the pandemic ravaged communities that were already underserved. In response, a form of mutual aid arose in neighborhoods far and wide – communal refrigerators.
These outdoor refrigerators, usually in a shed with shelves, are always open and always filled with donations of refrigerated and pantry food (and sometimes household items).
Refrigerators across the country work according to the motto “take what you need, let what you can.”
Arielle Goldhaber, an organizer of Roslindale Community Fridge, explains that community refrigerators do not use a charity model, but rather a mutual aid model – one where neighbors constantly help each other.
“The idea of sharing, not giving, is changing the timeline for access to food and resources,” Goldhaber explained. “Sharing is ‘constant’, sharing is ‘whenever possible’, sharing is ‘this should not be wasted’, sharing is ‘someone else could use this’.”
The most valuable facet of community refrigerators is their availability, says Laura Graham of South End Fridge. “They are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” she said. “No ID is required, unlike most pantries.”
Community refrigerators are completely voluntary and combat the issue of food waste along with food insecurity. But the most important thing is that they aim to be comfortable spaces for everyone to visit.
“More than food and supplies, we want to provide respect, autonomy and flexibility when life happens,” Goldhaber said. “We do not aim to ‘other’ our neighbors who visit the refrigerator.”
Below are a handful of communal refrigerators in Boston.
For just over a year, the Roslindale Community Fridge has been standing in the parking lot of Roslindale Market. They accept voluntary registrations through their Instagram page, and they also have a physical stand at Roslindale Farmers’ Market. They are currently hosting their second annual turkey tour, details of which can be found on their Instagram. They welcome both food and money donations – but no raw meat, seafood or homemade meals.
South End refrigerator
549 Columbus Ave., Boston
Since March 2021, the South End refrigerator has been in operation from Columbus Avenue in front of Make Shift Boston. The refrigerator is monitored by volunteers three times a day, and they accept raw meat and homemade meals if the meat is stored in the freezer and the meals are labeled with ingredients and expiration dates.
Earthy Boston – Fenway refrigerator
506 Park Drive, Boston
For almost exactly one year, Earthy Boston has been operating in Fenway in front of Mei Mei Dumplings on Park Drive. Organized by @earthyari, the refrigerator has an adjoining pantry area and does not accept raw meat or homemade food, although they do welcome meals prepared by licensed kitchens that are clearly labeled.
Symphony Interfaith refrigerator
70 St. Stephen St., Boston
Northeastern University Mutual Aid organized the Symphony Fridge this year with the help of several spiritual organizations on campus, such as the Northeastern Hillel, the Israel Campus Roundtable, and the Catholic Center at Northeastern University. They do not accept meat, seafood or alcohol, while they do accept clearly labeled meals donated by restaurants.
Jamaica Plain Community Refrigerator
672 Center St., Jamaica Plain
The community refrigerator in Jamaica Plain was one of the basic refrigerators in the Boston area, inspired by similar refrigerators in other parts of the country that emerged in response to the pandemic in the spring of 2020. They are one of the five Boston refrigerators cooperating. with Katsiroubas Produce, a Hyde Park-based supplier, to receive weekly product deliveries.
Mattapan Communal Fridge
1290 Blue Hill Ave., Boston
The Mattapan refrigerator, which opened last winter, is located at Café Juice Up on Blue Hill Avenue, which supplies the refrigerator’s electricity. In addition to standard foods, they welcome other products such as toiletries and household items.
Somerville Community Refrigerator (Winter Hill and Union Square)
35 Prospect St. and 36 Sewall St., Somerville
Somerville has two refrigerators – one in Winter Hill on Sewall Street and one on Union Square on Prospect Street. Along with food, pantry and toiletries, the refrigerators welcome donations via Givebutter, to which the link can be found on their Instagram.
Refrigerator on the square – Harvard Square
45 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge
Harvard’s Fridge in the Square, originally in front of Sinclair, was moved over the summer to a location on Mount Auburn Street, which now sits in a newly built shed / pantry. They prefer donations of pantry items like beans and bread and ingredients like fresh ingredients or eggs rather than ready-made meals.
Coast Community Fridge – Riverside, Cambridge
5 Callender St., Cambridge
The Coast Community refrigerator is run by Cambridge City Growers, a group dedicated to food sovereignty and working to organize urban agriculture in the Cambridge area. This is one of the few refrigerators that allows raw meat, but only in the freezer.
Bridge Refrigerator – Cambridgeport
157 Windsor St., Cambridge
Bridge Fridge, located in Cambridgeport’s Goree Freedom House, is run by an organization called Community For Us, By Us, a collective of black / brown youth in Cambridge that aims to provide community assistance.
All / Bright Community Refrigerator
243 Faneuil St. and 404 Washington St., Brighton,
The Allston / Brighton area has two refrigerators: one at the Oliveira Deli Market and one at the Brighton Congregational Church. They have been in operation for over a year and this Halloween the fridges were filled with special Halloween goodiebags (although they are usually filled with fresh ingredients).
Brookline Community Refrigerator
7 Station St., Brookline
This refrigerator is housed in a colorful shed in Brookline Village and is hosted by Brothers & Sisters Co. café. They are always looking for volunteers and donations such as ingredients, pantry items and prepared and labeled meals.
Subscribe to newsletter
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
No comments: