A Cape Coral business owner helping feed the hungry has seen an outpouring of support after she received a city citation for having an appliance in front of her building last week.
“It’s something good for the community. Why all of a sudden is there an issue?” Lee County Plumbing and Supply owner Dionne Lopez said about the Community Fridge she installed about five years ago. “The whole city and everybody in the community is in an uproar. I am overwhelmed – grateful – for all the emails, phone calls, and texts messages. The insanity – I am so grateful that everyone is backing me up on this.”
On March 5, a citation was put on the door of the business at 532 S.E. 47 Terrace for “shelving, litter, and appliances in front of the building” The Cape Coral Code Compliance Municipal Ordinance Violation stated that the appliance must be stored inside, and garbage thrown away. The citation stated that failure to comply within five days could result in a citation of $150 if not completed.
Lopez said she is still waiting to hear what is going to happen. As of Monday morning the fridge was still located outside, she said.
“They are bullying people to make them do whatever,” she said. “If there is a code, let’s go by the code. I still don’t know what code has been broken. This is what has been going on – OK for five years and all of a sudden there was an issue.”
Lopez said the Community Fridge is an outlet for people who are in need, as paychecks do not stretch as far as they did once upon a time. It offers a supplement 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We don’t ask for names, information, or income. We are helping the community. Taxes are still up on housing. Gas prices are going down, coming up. The food prices are still up. There are a lot of people that unfortunately aren’t making as much money as they need to in order to feed themselves,” she said.
The refrigerator is in front of the building, so people can open the fridge, take what they want, and leave what they want.
Over the years, Lopez has had numerous phone calls saying “Because of you, I ate last night,” or people that were once out on the streets now have a job and are bringing food to say thank you.
“That little bit is enough to supplement them to help them to their next level. Sometimes even that little step helps to get to that next step, she said.
Editor’s note: We have reached out to the city. This story will be updated when we receive a response.