As an update to today’s post about the Town Hall on Thursday, January 17 to save the Brooklyn Heights Community Fridge, Mary Frost of the Brooklyn Eagle reported today on the clock ticking on the fridge and the background of the beloved institution. Read Mary’s full article HERE
Mary reports that “Several promising alternate locations have fallen through, however. So with the clock ticking, groups (including The Service Collective and “Friends of the Fridge,” with the Brooklyn Heights Association) are hosting a “Community Town Hall Discussion” to brainstorm on a new location. The town hall will take place on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Plymouth Church, 75 Hicks St. in Brooklyn Heights.”
Frost reports on the history of the Fridge idea during the pandemic:
“Darryahn Knight, founder of the nonprofit Downtown Friendly, had approached First Presbyterian’s Rev. Adriene Thorne (now the senior minister of Riverside Church in Manhattan) about the possibility of locating a community refrigerator there and providing power. Thorne polled residents on the neighborhood social media site Nextdoor, and the response was overwhelming, according to the publication Presbyterians Today. ”
She reports that the group met on Nextdoor, quoting Caroline Koster: After she saw Thorne’s post on Nextdoor, it all came together. “The like minds found each other—we were strangers, but not for long.”
The Fridge would go on to win Nextdoor’s 2021 global Love Your Neighborhood award and be featured in Real Simple magazine. 
Frost’s story notes that local architect James Koster designed the shed and led a “community build” project.
“I looked to history for a design that would be welcomed by neighbors in New York City’s oldest Landmark district,” he told the Eagle. “Our original brownstone-shed design stitches the Brooklyn Heights Community Fridge into the fabric of the neighborhood — a 19th century look for a 21st century problem.”
“The Fridge can be moved: says Koster in the Eagle, “It’s sturdy and portable and can be tweaked to meet the look and feel of the next location.”
Frost also provides detailed background on the kids who fill the Fridge.
The Brooklyn Heights-based Service Collective organizes volunteer service projects for kids, teens and families, including prepping meals and delivering them to the Community Fridge.
“The Service Collective started our ‘Fill the Fridge’ program in September of 2022,” TSC Executive Director Amanda Jones told the Eagle. The program is led by nutritionist Andrea Kapner, founder of Tiny Turnips Kitchen.
“Two or three times a month we gather 15-20 kids ages 8-16 — sometimes younger with their parents — to talk about the important issues of food insecurity and food waste affecting our community,” Jones said. “We discuss ways in which the community fridge both mitigates food waste and meets the needs of hungry neighbors in a unique way. Then, we get to work.”
Over the last four years, TSC has hosted more than 60 Fill the Fridge projects, Jones said. Each time, participants prepare more than 30 complete meals, then package, label and stock them in the fridge. “That’s over 1,000 meals served and 1,000-plus volunteers engaged in the last four years.”
Mary Frost’s story is worth a full read to learn about the history of this beloved resource and how you can help. Read it here.
(To learn more about the fridge and help find a new site, RSVP online here.) The Town Hall is Thursday, January 17 at 7 PM at Plymouth Church. Come and speak your mind and learn what’s happened so far and how you can help.
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