A new community fridge for the East Village

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

A new community fridge is now in service outside the Sixth Street Community Center between Avenue B and Avenue C. 

One Love Community Fridge, a 501(c)(3) organization, is the sponsor here.

With this arrival, Pastor Will Kroeze of Trinity Lower East Side let us know that the longstanding community fridge outside Trinity on Ninth Street and Avenue B, which had been broken, was dismantled and carted off yesterday. 

As we reported in August, the Trinity LES community fridge needed a new home.

"The Sixth Street Community Center expressed interest and had the most suitable location," Pastor Will told us. "We believe strongly in the kind of mutual aid exemplified by the community fridge model and know how much our neighbors continue to depend on it at all hours of every day, so we continue to support the fridge in its new location and are grateful for those who will now care for this invaluable community resource." 

If you'd like to help support the fridge, you can do so here.

This year, the neighborhood lost the use of the 12th Street and First Avenue East Village Neighbors Community Fridge. The plant-based community fridge outside Overthrow on Bleecker Street near the Bowery had been out of service since last December. Meanwhile, Overthrow is now permanently closed.

The Loisaida CommUnity Fridge on 9th and B needs a new home — here's why

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.

An upgrade and refresh for East Village community fridges

Top photo by Stacie Joy 

This past week, a new refrigerator arrived at the Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Avenue B and Ninth Street. 

After someone forcibly removed the door, the fridge had been out of commission for several weeks. 

This new fridge was installed by Pedro from La Plaza Cultural. He had to "raise the roof" a few inches on the enclosure to make room for the taller unit donated by Thadeaus Umpster from the New York City Community Fridge Network and IOH NYC (In Our Hearts NYC). 

Meanwhile, last weekend, EVG regular Lola Sáenz painted the new East Village Neighbors Community Fridge & Pantry outside S'MAC on First Avenue at 12th Street...

Find a map of all NYC community fridges right here.

A moment at the community fridge on Bleecker

A reader shared this photo from Thursday at the community fridge outside Overthrow Boxing Club at 9 Bleecker St. just west of the Bowery. 

Miguel (left) and Power from Artists Athletes Activists were stocking the fridge. 

Per the reader: "Seeing them is a good reminder that the fridge is stocked around 2 p.m. on Thursdays. On Sunday, they offer cooked meals from East Village Love NYC." 

The city's first plant-based community fridge arrived here in February 2021.

Find a map of all the NYC community fridges at this link.

At MoRUS, a new exhibit explores the network of community fridges in NYC

Photos by Stacie Joy 

"Fridge Street: Bridging Sites of Mutual Aid," a new exhibit at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS), explores the community fridges that emerged in New York City amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

Here's more about the work, curated by (from left) Yiya Wang, Xiran Luo and Xiaoya Yuan...

"Fridge Street" dives into the network of community fridges across New York City as they work toward food security, community building and sustainable practices. 

With primary and secondary data gathered from volunteering, field trips, questionnaires, interviews, and literature over the past six months, "Fridge Street" archives the network of community fridges across New York City. 

Through visual representations, individual narratives, and interactive displays, the exhibit showcases the resilience and resourcefulness of communities, providing visitors with an understanding of mutual aid within this grassroots movement. 

Ultimately, "Fridge Street" hopes to call attention to food insecurity as a systemic problem and inspire action that helps build more just and inclusive food systems.

 Here are a few photos from the opening last Saturday...

"Fridge Street" is open for viewing Friday-Sunday from 1-5 p.m. ... and here through July 30. Free admission.

MoRUS is at 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Volunteers needed for the Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry

The organizers of the Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry are looking for volunteers to help with the effort here at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Avenue B at Ninth Street. 

Via an Instagram post yesterday: 

The Loisaida CommUnity Fridge is in need of volunteers for weekly fridge maintenance and cleaning shifts, food donation pick ups, and outreach. We would love your help! 

And THANK YOU to all those who have volunteered at the Loisaida CommUnity Fridge already! We can’t succeed without you.

You can find details about volunteering at this link. 

The fridge debuted here in June.

A plant-based community fridge arrives outside Essex Market

A new plant-based community fridge opened this past weekend outside Essex Market on Broome Street between Essex and Norfolk.

Here's some info via the EVG inbox: It is run by Artist Athletes Activists, an organization founded by Power Malu (pictured above in the light-blue shirt). You can find information about volunteering or making donations to the fridge at this link. 

This is the second plant-based community fridge for the neighborhood ... joining the one that arrived in February outside Overthrow Boxing Club at 9 Bleecker St. just west of the Bowery. 

Both of the fridges are accessible 24/7. 

Top photo by George Grullon; second photo by Gary Dean Clarke. 

Behold the new Loisaida CommUnity Fridge

Photos by Stacie Joy

Organizers unveiled the Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry yesterday morning at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Avenue B at Ninth Street.

A group of community local residents and officials were on hand for the ceremonies... including Pastor Will from Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish and the Rev. Anne Sawyer from St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery ...

As previously reported, the nonprofit L.E.S. CommUnity Concerns is behind the launch of this 24/7 fridge and pantry. (Eleventh Street Workshop donated the refrigerator.) Per the organizers:

It will be guided by the philosophy of "take what you need, leave what you can," with the goal of providing relief to community members experiencing food insecurity, reducing food waste from local restaurants/groceries, and supplementing the non-24/7 food pantries in the area.

Organizers are also looking for local residents to help maintain the fridge and provide other types of administrative support. Find the volunteer form right here.

They are also accepting donations of fresh, healthy food, including canned goods. (Please label fresh food with date and ingredients.) Here is the form (link) for businesses/organizations to fill out if they'd like to donate any goods — either on a recurring basis or a one-time gift.

This will be the third local community fridge launched since the start of the pandemic ... joining the East Village Neighbors' Fridge and Pantry outside S'Mac on First Avenue and 12th Street and the one outside Overthrow on Bleecker Street near the Bowery. 

The Loisaida CommUnity Fridge opens tomorrow on 9th Street and Avenue B

The Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry will debut tomorrow morning at 11 at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Avenue B at Ninth Street.

As previously reported, the nonprofit L.E.S. CommUnity Concerns is behind the launch of this 24/7 fridge and pantry. Per the organizers:

It will be guided by the philosophy of "take what you need, leave what you can," with the goal of providing relief to community members experiencing food insecurity, reducing food waste from local restaurants/groceries, and supplementing the non-24/7 food pantries in the area.

The organizers are also looking for local residents to help maintain the fridge and provide other types of administrative support. Find the volunteer form right here. They are also accepting donations of fresh, healthy food, including canned goods. (Please label fresh food with date and ingredients.)

Trinity's Services and Food for the Homeless (SAFH) has served meals to those in need for more than 30 years. Last September, they launched College Food Pantry, which aims to help "address food insecurity among college students of all ages and backgrounds."  

This will be the third local community fridge launched since the start of the pandemic ... joining the East Village Neighbors' Fridge and Pantry outside S'Mac on First Avenue and 12th Street and the one outside Overthrow on Bleecker Street near the Bowery.

Volunteer help wanted for the new Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry

The nonprofit L.E.S. CommUnity Concerns is helping launch a new community fridge at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Avenue B at Ninth Street.

Here are more details:

We are a group of volunteers in the East Village getting ready to launch a Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry, a 24/7 Free Fridge and Pantry located outside of Trinity Lower East Side (SE corner of Avenue B and 9th Street).

The model is very similar to the East Village Neighbors' Fridge and Pantry located outside of S'Mac (12th Street and 1st Ave). It will be guided by the philosophy of "take what you need, leave what you can," with the goal of providing relief to community members experiencing food insecurity, reducing food waste from local restaurants/groceries, and supplementing the non-24/7 food pantries in the area.

We are aiming to begin offering the service to the community in the next couple of weeks, and need your help in making sure the fridge is a success. (There is no specific time commitment necessary to join the group.)

Find the volunteer form right here.

Trinity's Services and Food for the Homeless (SAFH) has served meals to those in need for more than 30 years. Last September, they launched College Food Pantry, which aims to help "address food insecurity among college students of all ages and backgrounds."  

City's first plant-based community fridge is up and running outside Overthrow on Bleecker Street

Yesterday saw the debut of what organizers are calling the city's first plant-based community fridge outside Overthrow Boxing Club at 9 Bleecker St. just west of the Bowery.

Power Malu, a community activist and organizer, and Eloísa Trinidad, executive director at Chilis on Wheels New York and Vegan Activist Alliance, are spearheading these efforts here with the help of many volunteers as well as Overthrow.  

In a statement on Instagram, the organizers stated: 

This pandemic has forced us to take a deep look at the effects of food insecurity in our communities and the health disparities that have plagued our families for decades. We are really excited to collaborate with great people who understand the importance of offering healthy alternatives to our communities in need. This will be the first plant-based fridge in NYC and definitely not the last.

The fridge is open 24/7. People can drop off donations, including new or gently used (clean) clothes, at Overthrow from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. during the week and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends. 

Here are some common plant-based foods in high demand ...  (per the organizers: no meat, cow, goat milk/cheese or heavily processed foods):

Fresh produce (ALL greens, fruits, and vegetables )
Plant-based milks
Peanut Butter
Fruit preserves (jam)
Whole wheat bread or other whole grain bread
Plain dry pasta
Plain Tomato Sauce or Marinara Sauce
Plain Canned Veggies
Plain Rice
Beans, lentil and other legumes (canned or dried)
Applesauce

Clothes:
All sizes, all genders. (Please no fur coats.)
Coats
Socks (new)
Undergarments (new)
Gloves
Sweatshirts, sweaters and other long sleeve shirts
Pants
T-shirts OK, but no other summer clothes such as dresses, tank top etc.
Thermals
Winter Hats
Water resistant clothing
Boots
Sneakers
Backpacks
Sleeping bags
Hygiene Products/Toiletries

People can volunteer to clean the fridge or help sort clothes and nonperishable foods by signing up via the QR code:

You can also use this email: plantbasedcommunityfridge@gmail.com

There's a link here to donate to a GoFundMe to help maintain this community fridge as well as one in the Bronx and Queens.

The fridge has an Instagram account here. Artist Andrea Acevedo painted the fridge. And thank you to Danielle for the top photo and information.

This also marks the second community fridge in the neighborhood. The East Village Neighbors Fridge debuted last fall outside S'MAC on the northwest corner of First Avenue and 12th Street.