Community fridge opens in Coventry for anyone to take food
A fridge, as well as books, is drawing hundreds of visitors to a library in Coventry – and anyone can take the food from inside it.
Fruit, butter, cream and bread can now be taken out for free from the so-called ‘community fridge’ at Holbrooks Library.
All the items on the fridge’s shelves are donated and anyone can help themselves when it’s open.
The scheme started in August and is already having a “phenomenal” impact.
Husband and wife team Clare Allington-Dixon and Carlton Dixon bought the fridge with a grant from charity Hubbub and the Co-op.
The Canley couple now spend much of their time driving around the city in a hired electric car to pick up food for the fridge.
One of their main sources of donations is local supermarkets giving away perishable food that’s no longer needed.
The pair use an app called Neighbourly to link with stores and get alerts when food is available, whether it’s 5am or 8pm.
They check the items thoroughly before putting them on the fridge’s shelves.
Clare told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The community fridge is a model we have had our eye on for many years, and when the chance to be funded by Hubbub came up we jumped at the opportunity.”
“The impact has been phenomenal,” she said. “We are covering both remits, fighting food waste but also making sure perfectly good food is getting to members of the community in need.”
The duo are keen to get a chain of fridges going across the city and also take on other work as part of their community interest company Urban Goodies.
Clare added: “We do not do this to make profits, we do this to support our community and give something back.
“Of course it would be nice to have a salary and perhaps this is something we will receive in the future.
“We do understand how difficult things are at the moment for people because it is our lived reality too.”
The fridge can be found at Holbrooks Community Care Association, where Holbrooks Library is also based.