Community fridge in Regina aims to stop food insecurity, organizer says

A community fridge built in Regina earlier this month needs food donations from local businesses, community organizations and members of the public, organizers say.

"Food insecurity was already a huge problem in Regina before COVID, and before COVID it was estimated that about 11 per cent of people in the city were experiencing food insecurity," said Danielle Froh, an organizer of the Regina Community Fridge, which is located behind the Regina Family Pharmacy at 3037 Dewdney Ave.

"With COVID I expect that those numbers are much more, so this affects families, single people, people that [are] homeless."

The outdoor fridge and freezer works on the same concept of a little free library. People can donate food or take some food from the fridge.

Froh says the response has been incredible.

"This fridge doesn't even have signage on it yet, but people are already coming to take the food and every morning that we come to visit the food and check on it and clean up the fridge, it's all empty," Froh said.

She says the fridge usually contains many different items, including bread, pastries, frozen meals, perogies and milk. 

"It's all been going so the response has been great," she said.

At the moment, Froh says, the fridge is the only of its kind in Regina.

"This is also a nice, contactless way to give food," Froh said. "We don't have to go into a grocery store, we don't have to be close to anyone, we can just drop off food and take food, contact free, whatever your schedule's like."

Froh says she hopes the fridge will help create a sense of community for the area.

"This is not my fridge, this is not the pharmacy's fridge, this is Regina's fridge," she said. "We put this here so the city of Regina can come and care for it like it's their own: Keep it clean, keep it stocked, and really care for each other in the city."