Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy
On the heels of our story that the 12th Street and First Avenue East Village Neighbors Community Fridge at S’MAC was being forced to close, we received word from Trinity Lutheran Parish that the Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry at Ninth Street and Avenue B also needs to shutter.
I spoke to Pastor Will Kroeze from Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish about the situation.
"Over the winter, we received violations from the Department of Health because of an increased number of rodents in and around our garden where the fridge is located, which jeopardizes our ability to fulfill our primary mission — to serve the community through our daily free lunch and food pantry," he said. "It is imperative that we maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene so that we can do this work, as we are regularly inspected by the Department of Health and have always been proud of the high marks we receive."
He said that the church is now seeking a new location for the fridge "so that it can continue to be a
resource for our community."
"Given that the East Village Neighbors fridge on First Avenue is no longer operating, we feel particularly strongly now that the Loisaida Community Fridge must continue on; we are seeking the community’s support in securing a new location nearby."
The fridge arrived here in June 2021.
"It's been such an honor for Trinity to host the fridge since its inception. The fridge has been a natural extension of the work we've done for over 40 years to address food insecurity in our community, and we're proud of the many thousands of pounds of food that have gone directly into the hands of those who need it the most," Pastor Will said. "The success of the fridge is a testament to the dedication of the tremendous group of
community leaders and volunteers who have poured their hearts into it in service to our neighbors."
While the CommUnity structure remains in place for now, the East Village will soon be without any community fridges. The plant-based one outside Overthrow on Bleecker Street near the Bowery is currently MIA, with an Instagram post from last December stating a new fridge was on the way.
