Free ‘Community Refrigerators’ Ease Food Insecurity In Newark | Newark, NJ Patch – Patch.com
NEWARK, NJ — There’s an inspiring new trend sweeping through New Jersey’s largest city: community refrigerators.
Several Newark community groups recently celebrated the launch of a 24/7, self-serve food pantry outside Wolff Memorial Presbyterian Church, at 106 Ann Street in the East Ward of the city. Filled with necessities like bread, cereal, eggs and fresh veggies, it gives local residents a way to stretch their grocery budgets at a time when they need it most.
The refrigerator on Ann Street is the first of four that the partnership plans to create, according to the United Community Corporation (UCC), which is teaming up with the New Jersey Children’s Foundation, the Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey and the Newark Opportunity Youth Network.
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The philosophy is simple, organizers said: Take what you need, and leave what you can.
UCC Executive Director Craig Mainor said that the nonprofit has learned an important lesson over the past two years. In order to meet the needs of a community struggling with poverty, you need to “meet them where they are,” he said.
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“This new approach means that we are making it easier and more convenient for those families in need to get the much-needed food subsidies they need to survive,” Mainor added.
The community refrigerator movement – which has also been making a mark in other U.S. cities – has stuck a chord with people and businesses in Newark, organizers said. So far, the project has gotten support from HelloFresh, Trader Joe’s, ShopRite, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and MEND Hunger Relief.
The project has also seen funding from the New Jersey Children’s Foundation, the Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey and Partners In Health, as well as support from Newark Opportunity Youth Network and Leaders For Life.
Want to contribute? Those willing to donate food can simply drop it off at the refrigerator, or order food from Amazon or InstaCart with the items sent to the refrigerator’s address. An online note should be left instructing the delivery driver to remove the items from their bags and place them in the refrigerator or shelves for non-perishable food, organizers said.
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Jerome Lane Jr., a community ministry organizer with Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey, said it’s important to understand that people don’t have to be homeless or unemployed to face food insecurity.
“You may not need a full box or bag of items from a food pantry but possibly a staple or two to add to what you already have,” Lane said. “This refrigerator will be here 24 hours a day for you to take or leave items … no identification needed, or questions, or judgment.”
It isn’t just food that organizers are hoping to connect local residents with, either. For example, the new refrigerator – which also includes a reading library – is located outside Wolff Memorial Presbyterian Church, a Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey site that also houses UCC’s free clothing boutique and Energy Assistance Department.
Another inspiring aspect of the project? The refrigerator is encased in a weather-proof shelter that was built by students who are part of UCC’s YouthBuild job training and preparedness program, which includes youth aged 16 to 24 – some of whom may have dropped out of high school and are trying to find a new pathway forward.
“For them to do this effortlessly and be able to contribute to the community that they live in is like killing two birds with one stone,” UCC YouthBuild Construction Training Manager Darian Harris said.
“As we do more projects like this that serve dual purposes, they’ll start to realize the importance of the actions that they take as they go through life,” Harris added.
Organizers said that anyone who is interested in joining the YouthBuild program can email Jacqueline Henry at jacqueline.henry@uccnewark.org.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
The partnership plans to debut a second community refrigerator in the West Ward outside the UCC’s administrative office at 332 South 8th Street in the next few weeks.
The locations of the additional two refrigerators – made possible by funding from Partners In Health – are still to be determined. But organizers said they hope to “hit each ward of Newark” before they’re through.
The partnership gave a shout out to Leaders For Life, which rolled out a community refrigerator at 84 Clinton Place in the South Ward in the fall of 2021.
“Newark, represented by its wards, is full of a variety of resources,” New Jersey Children’s Foundation Director of External Affairs Galen Johnson said.
“Placing this project in as many wards as possible gives everyone in the community access to an essential resource: food,” Johnson said. “I believe that there is a huge possibility for scalability so that even more community refrigerators can reach more neighborhoods throughout the city.”