Frequent use shows need for community fridge in Swift Current
A colourful shed in a downtown Swift Current parking lot offers a sense of hope to anyone facing food insecurity.
The shed serves as a community fridge where donated food items are available and it has been well used since it opened in mid August.
A food drive was held for the community fridge on Oct. 27 to spark some food donations and to raise awareness about this initiative.
Lindsey Glassford said the food drive was an effort to give people an opportunity to come out and see what it is all about. The community fridge is well used, but it also means there is a need for regular food donations.
“We’ve evolved a little bit since we first opened and things have just changed a little bit,” she said.
The community fridge is housed in a small shed that contains a fridge, freezer and shelves. It is located in the Innovation Credit Union parking lot on the corner of 2nd Avenue NE and Cheadle
Street East, across the street from Great Plains College.
An important feature of the community fridge is that there are no restrictions on access. The shed is never locked, which makes it easy for community members to make food donations and for someone to take food items based on their need.
The idea for a community fridge in Swift Current grew from conversations between Glassford and Keelan Cornelson. They work in the health care and social services sector and both have seen the impact of food insecurity on individuals.
They began to speak to others about the idea and created the Facebook group Swift Current Community Fridge Initiative in June to get the word out. They began to receive responses and offers of help, which made it possible to open the community fridge in August.
Glassford said they have already learned a lot about the demand in the community since the community fridge opened.
“I have learned it is hard to keep up with demand,” she mentioned. “Our capacity changes throughout the day. On average, what we’ve seen is the fridge has been filled and emptied at least four to five times a day. It’s continuous and revolving – food coming in and going out. We’ve created some more partnerships within the community, especially with the Salvation Army. They bring donations on Fridays, which has been amazing. So kind of working together to fill in the gaps each of us can’t meet.”
There are community fridges in cities across Canada as well as in other countries. They exist in several Saskatchewan communities.
They have been in Regina and Saskatoon for some time and a community fridge opened a few weeks ago in Yorkton.
The intention of a community fridge is not to replace other services in the community such as a food bank, but it provides another option for anyone who is facing food insecurity.
Glassford had the opportunity to meet people who use the community fridge at a couple of occasions when she was at the shed.
“There’s no specific profile person who uses the fridge,” she said. “It varies from low income to moderate income households, people in all types of different situations, employed, unemployed, on assistance, things like that. So really, there is no face to food insecurity within our community. The only thing I can say is the need for a resource like this has been increasing. And that’s proven within our numbers and how it empties and fills on a continuous basis.”
A variety of food items as well as personal hygiene items can be donated to the community fridge.
“What we’ve seen is a lot of pantry items go quickly,” she said. “Personal hygiene and feminine hygiene products
are a lot of things people don’t really think of. Dairy products like milk are something that goes very quickly. So those are personally what I’ve noticed and some people in the community have brought to our attention, and this would be great to have.”
Donations are always welcome and items can be placed inside the hut an any time, because it remains unlocked for 24 hours a day. However, people are requested not to donate expired products or items that have been opened or tampered with.
“Anything that you wouldn’t eat yourself or want to feed your family shouldn’t be donated to the fridge,” she said.
The hut is insulated with two-inch foam board and food spoilage should therefore not be an issue as it gets colder during the winter.
“It’s actually more insulated than what I’ve seen on other community fridges,” Glassford noted. “So we’re hoping that allows a little bit more protection as well as the shed being well enclosed. And the donations don’t stay in long enough to really worry about food spoilage due to the weather.”
Volunteers replaced the old sliding door on the hut with a sturdy wooden door, which makes entry easy and convenient. The hut also received a recent exterior makeover on Oct. 20, when Visual Art 20 students from Swift Current Comprehensive High School designed and painted colourful murals on the walls.
“So now it’s bright, it’s beautiful, it’s identifiable and unique within Swift Current and easy to find,” she said. “It was one of the most special things for us to have those kids interested in food and security, learning more about a community fridge, why we need a community fridge, and how it works. Their excitement about the project and the passion they put into it is just amazing.”
Community members can additionally support this initiative by volunteering to assist with a few basic tasks at the hut.
Some volunteers make daily visits to check if there are any items that are expired, opened or tampered with.
Other volunteers will come at least once a day to clean, make sure there is no food spillage and that there is no garbage outside.
Anyone interested in getting involved can connect through the Swift Current Community Fridge Initiative Facebook page or they can join the discussion on the initiative’s Whatsapp group.