How to Start a Community Pantry or Fridge
Start a community pantry or fridge in your community by stocking these structures with fresh produce, canned items, and boxed meals.
Why this recipe matters
Across the United States, 33.8 million people live in food-insecure households. Starting a community pantry or fridge is a great way to address food insecurity and hunger while bringing your community together.
Ingredients
- A functioning fridge, or supplies to build shelves for a free pantry (see below)
- Access to a reliable power source
- Refrigerator thermometer
- Little Free Pantry’s materials and instructions list
- Fresh produce, canned items, and boxed meals
- Community Fridges: Legal Questions and Answers document
- Guidance on state-specific laws concerning food donations
- Freedge’s Recommended Community Food Safety Protocol
- Photo release
Recipe
1. Check local laws.
- Check with your city about securing the right paperwork or permits before setting up a free pantry or fridge. You must receive permission from the land owner (whether public property or private property) prior to setting up a community fridge and should look into zoning codes to ensure they are permitted in that area.
- Research food donation laws to find out if your locale requires liability insurance.
2. Choose a location.
- Consider accessibility and foot traffic to ensure members of the community can reliably access the structure without disturbances.
- If you’re setting up a community fridge, make sure there’s a nearby power source to keep the fridge running 24/7.
3. Set up your structure(s).
- Plug a working refrigerator into a nearby power source and test the temperature using a refrigerator thermometer.
- Use Little Free Pantry’s materials and instructions list to build a safe and sturdy structure for the free pantry.
4. Stock your community pantry or fridge with food and produce.
- Clearly mark the date that fresh produce is dropped off in the fridge.
- Canned, boxed, and non-perishable food items are great options for donations. Meat and dairy products, however, may contaminate the other food, so avoid placing them in the structure.
- Consider partnering with a local community garden or pantry to supply donated produce or food items.
5. Share your project with your community!
- Advertise the fridge or pantry with your community so they can access it, as well as assist with cleaning, maintenance, and donations. Take photos of the fridge and share on social, tagging #Idealist to spread the word with others in the area.
- Add your free fridge to Freedge’s community map so others know where to access it.
Nutritional Information
How this recipe has nurtured a community
“There doesn't seem to be enough food to feed the communities where these fridges are located. The issue is not that food doesn't exist; the issue is getting the food from point A, where there's an excess, to point B, where there are people in need.
“My students' families are the ones that help distribute the food. They’re the ones that help clean the fridges every day. But they also use the fridges to help feed their families. It upends the hierarchy between giver and receiver, which helps level the playing field.”
Finishing Touch
Encourage people to visit your community pantry or fridge by painting it! Gather a few artsy volunteers to brainstorm a mural idea, or just paint symbols and images that reflect your community. Doing so can help the project stand out and invite more people to check out what is stocked inside.