Community Fridge Victoria

 The Community Fridge opened in May 2021 on the lands of the Lekwungen speaking peoples at         2721 Rock Bay Ave. Located at the side of The Number, our host business, it is open 24/7 and operates on a "take what you need, leave what you can" basis. We are so excited to have our first fridge up and running!

As a mutual aid group we rely on volunteers to clean, stock, and run the fridge. Lots goes on behind the scenes, and lots goes on on the front end! We love working with the community and continuing to get exciting, fresh food in to the hands of people with as few barriers as possible. We believe in creating accessible food sources in the area, and are firm believers in not policing use of the fridge or assessing needs. All people deserve food all the time!

All people are welcome to use the fridge, contribute to the fridge, and work on the behind the scenes (ie administrative tasks). We also rely on community sourced funds to operate the Fridge. Funds sourced help us purchase food, run fundraisers, purchase cleaning supplies, and maintain the fridge.

According to Vancouver Coastal Health, approximately 1 in 10 in so-called British Columbia could be considered food insecure and around 40% of food produced is wasted or lost. COVID-19 has only exacerbated this pre-existing food insecurity and inequality within our communities. We aim to support folks in accessing food while making the process as barrier free as possible. Everyone in the community deserves access to healthy food.

What is a Community Fridge?
Community Fridges are a mutual aid initiative that seeks to creatively address problems of food waste and food insecurity by establishing public fridges in the city, stocked/maintained by and for the community.

A Community Fridge aims to provide fresh and healthy food options to all community members without questions. Community Fridges are open 24/7 and all are welcomed. This project operates on the principle of "Solidarity, not Charity", where people take what they need from the fridge and leave what they can.

How does it work?
A business, organization, or resident provides space and electricity, a fridge is established by organizers and everything else is sustained 100% by the community. People are encouraged to volunteer to stock, clean, and maintain the fridge.

What will your money go towards?
- Materials for fridge repairs, murals and upgrades
- Cleaning supplies
- Any additional utility or maintenance costs as needed
- Extra money raised will go towards stocking the fridge

Where will this fridge be located?
The first fridge will be located at The Number in Rock Bay!