Community Fridge Network to double in size

Environmental charity Hubbub has announced that the Community Fridge Network is to double in size by the end of 2020 with National Lottery funding. The charity aims to support the opening of 50 more sites over the next 22 months.  Founded by Hubbub in July 2017, the Community Fridge Network and fridges within the Network have been funded by backers including The National Lottery Community Fund, Sainsbury’s, The Rothschild Foundation, Bosch, North London Waste Authority, the Morrison’s Foundation, Samsung and the Climate Challenge Fund. The Community Fridge Network launched with the aim of reducing food waste in the UK, by providing a place for local residents and businesses to donate surplus food, which is available for anyone in the community to take. In addition, a survey of 21 Community Fridges showed that 50% were seeing people also sharing skills, with 45% stating that their Community Fridge is linked to cooking and growing workshops and 30% saying that people are sharing other household items. With the opening of the 50th Community Fridge, the Network is redistributing an average of 25 tonnes of food each month, the equivalent of approximately 50,000 meals. Trewin Restorick, Founder and CEO, Hubbub said: “We’re thrilled with how successful Community Fridges have been and the rapid growth of the Network. The Fridges not only save valuable food, they help bring people together and have become real community hubs. Some people had doubts at the outset as to whether the Community Fridge Network would work, but the Fridges have developed to be positive, social spaces that have proven the doubters wrong.” Also known as ‘Solidarity’ or ‘Honesty’ Fridges, Community Fridges have been introduced in Spain, Germany as well as the UK. Hubbub’s Community Fridge Network also provides free advice, resources and support to Community Fridge organisers around challenges such as legal requirements and food hygiene, as well as creating opportunities for communities to share experiences and learn from each other.  

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