New Community Fridge opens in North Stoneham
Eastleigh Borough Council has supported the opening of a new Community Fridge in Eastleigh, at the YMCA Eastleigh Community Centre, working alongside North Stoneham Community Group to benefit residents and to help to reduce food waste.
North Stoneham Community Fridge opened its doors in April with items donated from local supermarkets, local food businesses, produce from local gardens and individuals. The aim of a Community Fridge is to provide a space that brings people together and helps teach people about food waste whilst also making the Borough more sustainable.
The fridge has been funded through a grant provided by the Waste Prevention Community Fund at Hampshire County Council and supported by Eastleigh Borough Council in setting up the project. People can collect items from the fridge as well as donating items that they no longer need to prevent them going to waste. Find out which items are accepted at the Community Fridge
.A Council spokesperson said: “The Community Fridge is a great way of people saving food from going to waste whilst also saving themselves some money. There is a real stigma around food banks but these community spaces exist to simply reduce food waste and promote a spirit of sharing and mutual support within a community.”
In 2021, the Community Fridge Network redistributed around 3,150 tonnes of surplus food, that is around 7.5 million meals. Each Fridge shares an average of 2.1 tonnes of food per month. The network found that the fridges bring people together, address social isolation and provide people with the opportunity to access healthy food, try something new and save money.
This Community Fridge offers a source of fresh good quality food surplus for everyone including a lot of fresh fruit and veg and operates on a trust basis, people using it are not means tested. The fridge is open daily from 10am until 4pm.