Showing posts with label East Village Community Fridge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label East Village Community Fridge. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

The East Village Neighbors Community Fridge is up and running again after vandal strikes

The East Village Neighbors Community Fridge and Pantry outside S'MAC at the NW corner of 12th Street and First Avenue was briefly out of commission thanks to a vandal. (The top photo, by Lola Sáenz, is from Sunday.)

Over the weekend, someone tore off the plug to the refrigerator's power cable...
The vandal also used a weight to smash the adjacent pantry for canned goods and other nonperishables ...
Despite the vandalism, S'MAC's management was able to get the refrigerator repaired late yesterday. The pantry was expected to be back as soon as this morning. 

S'MAC co-owner Sarita Ekya told this to EVG contributor Stacie Joy yesterday:
[I]t is disheartening and shocking that someone would vandalize a community fridge. However, we will move forward ... Thanks to ALL for the support. We are in continual need of food/monetary donations to fill the fridge so we would rather the community focus on that. We got the equipment covered.
The fridge's motto is "take what you need, leave what you can," and is made possible by S'MAC, Change Food and East Village Neighbors. It first arrived here last fall. (This is also not the first time it was vandalized.) 

In an Instagram post yesterday, East Village Neighbors report that more than 2,000 people access the community refrigerator every week. "Some fridge guests say this is the only food they get."

They also launched a new fundraiser yesterday.
We've been absolutely floored by the neighborhood's generosity in donating money for food and also in stocking the fridge — but we're almost out of funds. We've been organizing large, weekly deliveries of fresh food in order to make sure residents have a selection of healthy food, but we'll have to stop them in a few weeks if we don't raise more money.
You can find the new fundraiser at this link.
Top photo by Lola Sáenz; the others by Steven

Previously on EV Grieve: 

Friday, December 18, 2020

A new look (and name!) for the East Village Neighbors Fridge

As we've been reporting, the volunteer group East Village Neighbors teamed up with S'MAC owners Sarita and Cesar Ekya to stock a community fridge and food pantry outside the restaurant at the corner of 12th Street and First Avenue.

There's a new name for the endeavor — East Village Neighbors Fridge ... as well as a new logo, with colors selected to match those at S'MAC.

The fridge's motto is "take what you need, leave what you can," and is made possible by S’MAC, Change Food and East Village Neighbors. 
 
The fridge and food pantry for dry goods is open 24 hours a day for anyone who needs a meal ... it is restocked as needed, which is often. Local businesses and residents continue to make donations...


If you’d like to donate homemade food, they ask that it be clearly labeled, dated, and individually wrapped. East Village Neighbors are also accepting donations via this link.

Thursday, November 26, 2020

A Thanksgiving feast for neighbors in need at the East Village Community Fridge

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

This morning, a few dozen volunteers got together to prepare and serve Thanksgiving holiday meals to those in need at the East Village Community Fridge, located at S’MAC on the northwest corner of First Avenue and 12th Street.

East Village residents cooked, wrapped, labeled and bagged homemade meals while local restaurateurs Jill and Kimo Hing of San Loco and Marco Canora of Hearth provided additional supplies and assistance. 

Spearheaded by organizers Diane Hatz of East Village Neighbors mutual aid group and Sarita and Caesar Ekya of S’MAC, this effort fed more than 75 individuals and families. 

Says Sarita, “Today is a wonderful day for many and a yet also terribly lonely and hard day for many. We wanted to bring some joy through food to those who otherwise wouldn’t get that. Isn’t that what true community is all about?” 

Diane added, “The pandemic has really brought out a sense of community in the East Village. Every day I see more and more neighbors dropping things off at the fridge, and more and more local businesses are donating items and even hosting fundraisers. Most people who donate to the fridge drop off a few items as they go by, and others are stopping to take a few things they need. This really is a collective community effort.” 

Today’s bagged meals included items like turkey and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, roasted veggies, cornbread, green bean casserole, shortbread cookies, and slices of pie. 

Masks were also provided to those who needed them. If you are interested in making a donation to the Community Fridge, then you can bring labeled, wrapped food by anytime or make a cash donation here.
Community Fridge organizer Diane Hatz ...
Marco Canora of Hearth...
Kimo Hing of San Loco with Jill Hing's homebaked cornbread, cranberry loaves, and pumpkin chocolate chip bread ...
and Jill Hing's pecan chocolate homemade pie ...

Friday, November 6, 2020

The East Village Community Fridge can use some fresh-food donations

The East Village Community Fridge, up and running these past few weeks outside S’MAC on 12th Street and First Avenue, is in need of donations.

Available 24/7, the fridge — and the adjacent pantry — provides food for anyone in need of a meal.

The volunteer group East Village Neighbors posted this on Instagram yesterday:
Our pantry is full but we had very little food for the fridge today. Question for other community fridges — how do you keep fresh food in the fridge 24/7? Are there any distributors or vendors we could get a steady supply of donations from? The need is SO great in the East Village that our food goes in an hour or two.

If anyone would like to donate so we can buy more food you can at bit.ly/EVNFunds
This service is a group effort that began when S’MAC owners Sarita and Caesar Ekya saw a post in East Village Neighbors Facebook group about setting up a fresh-foods community fridge. 

East Village Neighbors is also in need of reliable volunteers to help manage, stock and clean the fridge, and purveyors, supermarkets, and local restaurants that may be able to help with weekly food and goods drop-offs. If you can help, please contact the group via email, here: EastVillageNeighbors@gmail.com

Previously on EV Grieve:

Photos by Stacie Joy

Monday, October 26, 2020

A Visit to the East Village Community Fridge and Food Pantry

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

I arrive at S’MAC just in time to catch East Village Neighbors volunteer-group organizer Diane Hatz and S’MAC owner Sarita Ekya stock up the community fridge and food pantry, located outside S’MAC restaurant at the corner of 12th Street and First Avenue.
The fridge is a group effort, and began when Sarita and her husband Caesar Ekya (co-owners of S’MAC), saw a post in East Village Neighbors Facebook group about setting up a fresh-foods community fridge. 

Their first attempt was knocked over and KO’d after only three days, but Sarita and Caesar bought and donated a previously owned model (along with the cabinets that now hold the dry goods) on Craigslist, and hired a local contractor to bolt them down to prevent further shenanigans.
In additional to lots of fruits and veggies, Diane brought healthy food options (dairy products, grains, heat-and-eat meals) from Trader Joes, and Sarita restocks the freezer with both four-cheese and cheeseburger premade S’MAC mac-n-cheese casseroles. You can heat them up at home, but if you have no access to an oven, the S’MAC team will bake your meal for you on-site. (Each casserole feeds one to two people.)
East Village Neighbors is looking for reliable volunteers to help manage, stock and clean the fridge, and purveyors, supermarkets, and local restaurants that may be able to help with weekly food and goods drop-offs. If you can help, please contact the group via email, here: EastVillageNeighbors@gmail.com

The fridge is also in need of cash donations, which can be made here.

The group is also hoping to help spread the word to people in need, the fridge and food pantry for dry goods is open 24 hours a day and is restocked as needed. 

When I asked how fast the food goes, Sarita tells me it’s gone in less than 24 hours, and sometimes she needs to restock multiple times a day. The demand for healthy food for those in need in the community is high.
The community fridge motto is “take what you need, leave what you can,” and is made possible by S’MAC, Change Food, East Village Neighbors, and Local Roots NYC. If you’d like to donate homemade food, they ask that it be clearly labeled, dated, and individually wrapped. Diane reminds me with a smile, “No half-eaten cookies.”

Monday, October 12, 2020

The East Village Community Fridge is out of order after someone tipped it over



A recap from the weekend... sometime Friday night, someone (or a group?) decided to knock over the new East Village Community Fridge outside S'MAC on the northwest corner of First Avenue and 12th Street. 

Three uniformed officers from the 9th Precinct put the fridge back upright. This was just the third night for the fridge out in the wild.

Unfortunately, the fall KO'd the fridge, and it is no longer working. 

Said S'MAC co-owner Caesar Ekya in the comments: "And that fridge won't work now so have to find a new one. But we'll get something up and running again this week. Thanks for the donations and will update as soon as a new one is installed."



As we reported last Thursday, this is a project between S'MAC owners Sarita and Caesar Ekya along with East Village Neighbors, a local volunteer group, and Change Food, a social marketing nonprofit. Residents were welcome to drop off unopened food for anyone in need to take.

Saturday, October 10, 2020

[Updated] 3 nights in, the new East Village Community Fridge gets KO'd


EVG reader Jackie Silvestri stopped by early this morning to drop off donations for the new East Village Community Fridge outside S'MAC on the northwest corner of First Avenue and 12th Street. 

As the above photo shows, someone — with help? — decided to knock the fridge over. We're told that three officers from the 9th Precinct put it back upright.

This was just the third night for the fridge out in the wild... 

And as we reported on Thursday, this is a project between S'MAC owners Sarita and Caesar Ekya along with East Village Neighbors, a local volunteer group, and Change Food, a social marketing nonprofit. Residents can drop off unopened food for anyone in need to take.

The Community Fridge will be available outside S'MAC 24/7... though if vandalism remains an issue, there may need to be amended hours to when S'MAC is open.

Updated 10/11
Caesar reports that the fridge is now out of commission after it was tipped over... they'll work on getting a replacement. So no more donations for now.


Thursday, October 8, 2020

East Village Community Fridge providing free food outside S'MAC on 1st Avenue; donations welcome


Updated 10/12: Someone vandalized the fridge, and it is now out of commission.

The East Village Community Fridge debuted yesterday outside S'MAC on the northwest corner of First Avenue and 12th Street. 

Here's how it works via East Village Neighbors: "Free food for anyone in need. Neighbors put food in; neighbors in need take food out." (The donated food needs to be unopened. Fruits and vegetables are welcome too.)

This is a project between S'MAC owners Sarita and Caesar Ekya along with East Village Neighbors, a local volunteer group, and Change Food, a social marketing nonprofit. 

The Community Fridge will be available outside S'MAC 24/7.

Image via Instagram