PLS HELP! Fridgeport's "Take What You Need" Free Food Fridge Provides 24 Hour Food Pantry

Stephanie Webster March 04, 2023

In 2020, local food advocate, Reggy Saint Fortcolin, and Kingdom Builders Impact Ministries, launched Fridgeport, a mutual aid food initiative, based in Bridgeport. Fridgeport is a free food fridge, or community fridge, located at at 219 James Street. It’s open 24/7, and is a way to get free resources to people in the Bridgeport community, at any level of need. These types of fridges have been popping up all over cities and towns, many of which were launched during the pandemic when food pantries were struggling to meet the needs of their recipients and donations were at a low point. Since opening, additional CT locations have been launched in New Haven (@fridgehaven) and Hartford (@fridgeford).

Why is this different from a food pantry? Reggy states that while food pantries provide a useful resource, their assessment and allocation amounts will vary based on an equation of “need,” but sometimes that allocation simply isn’t enough to keep families fed. Fridgeport is a take-what-you-need resource.

“Fridgeport is based on the principle of solidarity, not charity. This means communal sharing of resources, no questions asked,” says Reggy.

This is the critical concept behind the Food Fridge. There are no questions asked, no paperwork to fill out. People who are hungry can simply come at ANY TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT and take what they require to stay fed. Over 800 people a week come through the Fridge at Kingdom Builders Impact Ministries, and while they have done a herculean job of maintaining this valuable community resource, THEY NEED YOUR HELP.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Anyone is welcomed to drop off perishable and non-perishables at any time at 219 James Street in Bridgeport. Volunteers can also donate their time by stocking the shelves or by helping with food packaging and distribution. Frigeport can accept all those Easter dinner leftovers, catered food from events, and even anything extra from your own kitchens. No food should be wasted.!!

The Ministry that runs and staffs Fridgeport also has a GoFundMe if you would like to make a monetary donation: https://gofund.me/aaffbd0f.

Food insecurity in Connecticut increased in 2022, and according to a recent survey from the New Haven-based nonprofit DataHaven, 17 percent of Connecticut adults have been unable to afford food at some point in the past year, the highest total in the five years DataHaven has conducted its annual survey.

What they have found is that food, and other resources, are constantly being wasted because they are not reaching people who will take them while many people remain in need of those same items. Free food fridges help minimize the issues of waste and hunger while creating the beginnings of a trustworthy community resource network,” Mairead McElroy, states in Garnet Oak Magazine.

Reggy explains,

“Free Food Fridges are not only supposed to provide food, but specifically good healthy food. The United States is full of food deserts, or spaces that do not have affordable and local nutritious food options. While neighborhoods have access to snack food and fast food options, the lack of healthy and filling food results in a myriad of health issues for working class people residing in these food deserts. The cycle will continue for generations in affected areas, unless more innovative solutions start being implemented. Fridgeport works to connect local organizations like Bridgeport Mutual Aid who help address the lack of healthy food in other ways, like building at-home gardens for families and residents of Bridgeport. Organizers also coordinate with local farmers and community gardeners who transport locally grown and raised food into the fridges, including Homefront Farmers and Hungry Reaper Farms. “

When asked about how the fridges help build community, Reggy explained:

“The fridge helps us create community by providing a space for conversation built on a shared struggle. Community starts when we come together for fridge openings, food drops, and make connections within our neighborhoods. It evolves as the connections are made and we build from them. Different classes still connect over the same issues and the fridges make a space to foster those conversations and people work together to find a solution.” -Reggy
Reggy continues, “a big challenge is the conversations around mutual aid. A lot of people are worried about people taking too much, but with mutual aid too much is not possible. One loaf of bread might not be enough for everyone, and it’s not up to anyone to determine what is the right amount of support for another person. Would you ask a firefighter if they used too much water to put out a fire?”

Please consider getting involved to keep these free food pantries stocked and help feed your community.