Town of Chatham Launches Community Fridge

CHATHAM – The town hall annex is sporting a new community fridge for residents struggling with food insecurity. The fridge will be available to the public Monday through Friday during regular business hours at the 261 George Ryder Rd. location.

 The fridge is stocked every Tuesday, courtesy of the Yarmouth-based Family Table Collaborative, which prepares and donates ready-made meals.

 “They make good quality, healthy, nutritious meals to put out there for anyone in need,” said Health Agent Judith Giorgio. 

 Each week, the fridge will be stocked with 10 meals. That number will be adjusted according to demand. The meals are prepared by the Family Table Collaborative’s chefs, who accept donations from retail stores like Whole Foods. Their meals are meant to be enriching and often include vegetables, rice, beans and other sources of protein. 

Giorgio will be monitoring the utilization of the fridge and expects to start slow, given that it’s brand new.

 “We’ve been planning it for about four or five months,” said Giorgio. “We’re hoping to expand it as time goes on.”

 The project of getting the fridge up and running was undertaken collaboratively between the Chatham Health Division, Monomoy Community Services and the Department of Community Services. Initially, the plan was to place the fridge at the Center for Active Living. By the time funding was secured through the Department of Public Health, the Center for Active Living was closed for renovation. Thus, the annex was chosen to house the fridge. 

 “We felt it was very accessible, private enough, but with enough foot traffic. We can keep an eye on it here as well,” said Giorgio.

 But the project is also meant to be regional. Eastham, Wellfleet and Harwich have had community fridges available to the public for several years, and Giorgio hopes to expand this effort across the Cape. A community fridge for Brewster, located in the Brewster Ladies’ Library, was purchased along with Chatham’s. With the expansion of fridges available, all those involved are hoping to create a wider network of support and food security for residents of the lower Cape. 

 Giorgio has other hopes for the fridge’s future as well. The health division is not accepting food donations yet, but they would like to in time. Giorgio envisioned accepting shelf-stable dry or canned goods. Additionally, she hopes to expand to donations of fresh bread or unprocessed produce from community gardens.

 The fridge will be up and running year round, so there’s time to work on the expansion goals. Giorgio herself, however, is retiring later this month.

 “I’m leaving this in the hands of my staff, but they’re on board and very excited about it,” she said. 

 The community fridge is a positive last note to leave on. Giorgio emphasized the availability of the meals provided and the privacy afforded to those who choose to use it.

 “Anyone can come in and take [the meals],” she said. “It’s no questions asked.”