The community fridge, based at St Andrew’s Church in Roman Road in Lowestoft was the first one set up in Suffolk, in 2019. The initiative is a real display of partnership work with different organisations.
Located at the church, the fridge itself was donated by Lowestoft based Hughes Electrical. It’s supported by the Suffolk Waste Partnership, Waveney District Council, The Morrisons Foundation and environmental charity Hubbub.
Local businesses, organisations and resident can donate surplus food to the fridge where it can be collected by any local person. The charity Hubbub is also able to offer a free support network for any group setting up or running a community fridge. The scheme is run by a group of dedicated volunteers with support and guidance from Community Action Suffolk.
Revd Damon Rogers is the vicar of St Andrew’s church where the community fridge is based. He says;
“We are a small friendly church housed in a building that is used seven days a week to serve the needs of Roman Hill, one of the most deprived communities in Suffolk and the UK. Having a community fridge is a huge benefit to the local community. Many people live on very low incomes and deal with the issues of poverty on a daily basis. But the community fridge goes further than that as it gives us an opportunity to raise awareness of the need to reduce food waste at all levels. Being able to partner with so many organisations at both a local and national level shows what we can achieve when we work together.”
For more information about the Community Fridge Network, visit www.hubbub.org.uk/the-community-fridge.