LYNN — The city is the newest community to join the wave of community fridge projects popping up across the country over the past few years.
With a fully operational fridge and freezer, the Lynn Community Fridge Project launched last week at 16 City Hall Square and provides free and healthy food and drink options to anyone in need.
The Lynn Community Fridge Project is a mutual aid initiative run entirely by donations and volunteers, who ensure the fridge is clean, organized and filled with safe and appropriate food and beverages.
Founded by Lynn native Emily Bucklin — along with Jess Petrino and Karina Gaft of the North Shore — the trio spent the past year preparing the legalities and specifics of a community fridge as a means of diminishing food insecurity in the community.
“Starting this project is something that needed to be done to continue the conversation about food insecurity and finding new ways we can help the community have access to healthy foods,” Bucklin said. “I believe that small projects like this can grow into something bigger, so that eventually no one in our city has to worry about food access.”
In order to install a community fridge, the team had to seek approval from the city’s health inspector, City Council and Mayor Thomas M. McGee. They then spoke with local businesses to find a location to house the fridge.
This led the team to Sara Brown from Centerboard, a nonprofit human services organization, who offered the organization’s parking lot as a location for the fridge.
Brown said she was scrolling through Instagram one day and saw that the Lynn Community Fridge was looking for its first host location, and she immediately wanted Centerboard to be a part of it.
“I was familiar with the concept of community fridges from reading stories about them in New York City, and always thought it was a great idea,” Brown said.
The concept of the fridge, Brown said, seemed to align with Centerboard’s mission of revitalizing the community by investing in its people and places.
“We support families and young people through housing, access to employment, education and financial empowerment. Everyone should have access to healthy, good food,” Brown said. “I spoke with our COO and CEO about it; they loved the idea and we got the ball rolling.”
At some point in our lives, Brown said, we have all needed the help of others. But at the same time, we have also been in a position where we can help someone else.
“The fridge is a perfect representation of that. Take what you need and leave what you can,” Brown said. “It has been great to see the fridge doing so well in the first weeks. It shows what a wonderful and generous community Lynn is.”
Assistance from the community is key to the success of such a project. Volunteers visit the fridge to clean it and restock the food and local restaurants, cafes, farms and caterers are encouraged to donate.
All food donations must be fresh, untouched and unopened, and accompanied by an expiration or donation date.
Recommended donations include fresh produce, dairy products, pantry goods, prepared and packaged meals from certified kitchens/restaurants (with a list of ingredients included), bread products, canned goods, condiments and snacks.
Foods that will not be accepted by the fridge includes raw meat and seafood, alcoholic beverages, unlabeled or opened meals, homemade food, leftovers or any prepared and packaged foods that do not follow the city’s food donation guidelines.
“The core of our efforts is to make nutritious food accessible to all members of the community,” the project’s website says. “The fridge promotes a sustainable and economical practice by providing a more equitable and communal way to access food.”
The community fridge is open 24/7 for donations and for anyone to retrieve the contents available in the fridge and freezer. The project advises the community to “take what you need, leave what you can.”
The project is seeking volunteers and donations, and any interested parties can email [email protected].
Fiscal donations are also accepted to assist with the purchase of cleaning supplies, and can be made at https://givebutter.com/0hg4EP.
