One donation at a time, volunteers can fill the Kelowna Community Fridge and the stomachs of those experiencing food insecurity.
The Kelowna Community Fridge is a volunteer-run station that consists of a fridge and a few shelves that act as a pantry, creating a no-barrier, 24/7 service that anyone is welcome to use and donate to.
“There are profound amounts of people experiencing insecurity,” said Kelowna Community Fridge volunteer Ollie O’Neil.
“People are in the position of making really difficult decisions like, ‘Do I pay rent or feed my kids?’ No one should be in that position.”
The concept is nothing new. It has been at the downtown Kelowna Unitarian Church for a year and a half. Now it’s been upgraded and relocated outside of Burke Hair Lounge on Lawrence Avenue.
The owner of Burke Hair Lounge, Lisa Burke, keeps a keen eye on the community fridge.
“I usually come in around nine and do a loop, around lunchtime I do another loop and before I leave,” said Burke.
“There’s three volunteers a week that do quality checks and clean of the fridge.”
Many of the donations come from partnerships with local businesses, grocery stores and anyone who wants to donate. Burke says that there’s a wide spectrum of people who access the community fridge.
“It’s mostly seniors and families. The unhomed community is welcome to the fridge, as they should, but it’s mostly families, people my age and seniors,” said Burke.
The Community Fridge program has been so popular it’s expanded into once a month a pop-up pantry in Kelowna’s Rutland neighbourhood Feb. 19 in Roxby Square from 12 p.m. until 3 p.m.