Administrated by Custom Food Lab, Feeding Folkestone has launched Folkestone’s first Community Fridge.
Our Disco Soup event really highlighted how much food is unnecessarily wasted across Kent and how much of it could be used to provide or create meals rather than be discarded without purpose. Although it seems contradictory that there is any ‘surplus’ food when food banks are busier than ever, it’s a real environmental issue as well as a human one and food waste (although being reduced), is still not being tackled as well as it could be.
There are already over 250 Community Fridges across the country, not just supporting people who need access to food, but also helping environmentally minded UK communities push back at the current wasteful food systems by providing food for those who want it too.
A Community Fridge is for everyone to access, no judgement, no criteria and no jumping through hoops to get it. It’s there to help close the wasteful loop in our food systems and with the cost of living rising to worrying levels, we hope it helps anyone who is in need of it too.
So our Folkestone Community Fridge is exactly that – a Fridge in our Community which is filled with ‘surplus’ food that would otherwise be wasted. . Providing a community based solution to food waste whilst creating a network of accessible food for Folkestone!
HOW IT WORKS
The Community Fridge is located at
Wood Avenue Library
17 Wood Avenue
Folkestone
CT19 6HS
OPENING HOURS are kept up to date on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Folkestonecommunityfridge/
We stock the Fridge with surplus food from local retailers, local growers, restaurants, community growing projects and food gifted from households.
We have a team of volunteers, who have all had Level 2 Food Hygiene training. They collect the food donations and bring them to the fridge where they are quality checked and stored appropriately, ready to be picked up by anyone who wants or needs it during the library opening hours.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
We hope the Community Fridge will restore local connections to food and each other, creating a sense of ‘old school’ community, one where you know your neighbours, meet new ones, share recipes and look after each other too, so if you’d like to join our Community Fridge Network then there are several ways you can help:
- Follow @feedingfolkestone and @folkestonecommunityfridge on social media, share our posts and tag us in your recipes and dinners using food from the Fridge .. we want people to feel excited about using it
- Keep talking about the Community Fridge, you never know who might need it even if it’s only now and then
- Volunteer! We are actively recruiting a team of volunteers to collect fridge donations, email us if you can help: communityfridge@feedingfolkestone.net or follow this link to join our Whatsapp group
- Donate to our Crowdfunder, we have a growing team of volunteers but we also have some start up expenses, like shelves, storage, training and volunteers expenses, so all donations are extremely welcome: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/folkestone-and-hythe-community-fridge
- Donate Food! Scroll down for the criteria.
- If you’re a business or enterprise that wants to reduce disposal costs and join the Fridge Network by donating food, then contact our project manager Charlene via communityfridge@feedingfolkestone.net
- Come along to see us Wood Avenue Library, here in Folkestone and see how it works!
WITH HUGE THANKS TO:
Hubbub – who have funded the set up of the fridge
Kent CC Libraries– who have so enthusiastically collaborated with us to make this happen and given us space for the fridge
Custom Food Lab – who have supported the project management, administration and fundraising
