Neighborhood Fridge is a grassroots mutual aid project whose primary goal is to combat the food insecurity crisis going on in our communities right now. We are in need of funding to stock up the fridge and for materials needed to maintain it. Every dollar counts and is highly appreciated. Your community thanks you in advance.

As of 2020, over 500,000 Orlando residents are food insecure.

Despite these numbers, due to corporate food regulations, in the city of Orlando alone, 76,000 tons of food is wasted annually, with commercial industries contributing to over 40% of the total.

That’s where we come in:

In just shy of a year, Neighborhood Fridge has already rescued over 13,000 pounds of food.

Food rescue – the process of recovering good quality food that would otherwise be thrown away – directly combats the issue of hunger by rerouting this food to places where people can access them, such as a community fridge.

We work with community partners and restaurants to keep both produce and ready-made meals in the fridge. Throughout each week, members of our volunteer team drive out to our restaurant partner locations for pick-ups.

An example: Last month, one of the restaurants we work with donated several pounds of baked potatoes and salmon filets. These foods were in good condition, but restaurant guidelines force them to toss prepped food that wasn’t ordered and plated.

Our team took those ingredients and made salmon cakes and mashed potatoes for the fridge, resulting in almost 30 meals.

That’s 30 people that get to eat for free, rather than food going to waste.

How Your Donation Makes an Impact

Each week, we feed at least 250 people, solely from meals made by our volunteers from rescued or donated ingredients.

Reaching a goal of $5000 would give us the opportunity to buy weekly grocery items and to-go materials in bulk for the year, ultimately reducing our spend and giving us capacity to focus on the fun part of the work – cooking and connecting with our community.

While the bulk of ingredients are donated or rescued, we’re consistently in need of funding to purchase supplemental food, to-go, or storage items such as: herbs, eggs, aluminum foil, utensils, coffee cups, to-go boxes, bottled water, and more.

On average, we spend around $200 a month, just on other food ingredients.

Another major expense: Gas

On average, each pick-up requires around 35 miles of travel, roundtrip, with a standing number of 12 pick-ups each week. And, because of our goal of increasing those connections and maintaining full fridges, we’re in the midst of planning to expand to other parts of Orlando.

Because we’re all volunteers running a grassroots organization, having the ability to offer gas reimbursement would make our operations significantly more sustainable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What drives us?

Our mission at Neighborhood Fridge is to combat food insecurity and waste in underserved communities in Central FL.

We operate on the principles of mutual aid and solidarity, all through a lens of food sovereignty. This is done by providing free access to healthy, fresh food, and other essentials to all members of the community regardless of socioeconomic status.

Food Sovereignty vs. Food Justice

Food sovereignty and food justice are very similar, with both going beyond everyone simply having the ability to eat.

Similarly to food justice, a food sovereignty framework says that everyone, regardless of zip code or income, deserves to have access to recurring sources of good quality, sustainability-sourced food. Both of these ideas also support both growing and shopping locally, equity for farmers of color, and equipping community members the knowledge and access to grow their own food.

We recognize that systemic barriers, food waste, climate change, unsustainable food systems, and inflation are key contributors to the persistence of food insecurity and poverty in our communities, disproportionately affecting BIPOC and low-income individuals.

NHF believes that these are both viable approaches to the ongoing issues of food waste, systemic poverty and hunger.

We lean towards food sovereignty because of the dedication to cultural humility. Through this lens, part of being accessible includes options that are nourishing, enjoyable, and culturally-sensitive. This means appealing directly to the population you’re supporting is paramount, not an afterthought.

What is mutual aid?

Mutual aid is when community members gather to support one another. Often these efforts are done by collectives of people, with the intention of creating bridges over existing economic and social barriers.

By definition, mutual aid is not equivalent to charity work. We reject the idea that people should feel grateful for receiving what all humans have a right to. This includes good food, warm clothes, and hygiene products.

For example, we know that period products are expensive. Some programs exist to support those with periods, but it can still be difficult to access what you need if you don’t have reliable or sufficient income or transportation. To address this, organizations like NHF participate in mutual aid by providing pads, tampons, and wipes for free in a spot where low-income folks frequent.

What does Neighborhood Fridge’s regular work look like?

By nature, food sovereignty by nature pushes against the idea of food waste. In addition to relying on donations from individuals and local businesses, we rescue food that would otherwise go to waste, reducing both hunger and food waste.

Neighborhood Fridge lives this daily by:

Offering fresh produce that our neighbors ask for and cooking meals that feel like home. When we’re able, we also fill the fridge with desserts and bottled water for the neighbors of Parramore to take their pick from.
Each Tuesday, we bring hot breakfast sandwiches, coffee (or tea!) and water to a local hub in the city where houseless folks get their resources.
Prioritizing holistic wellness by offering hygiene and sexual health products at this distribution and at our pantry.
As it cools down, we’ll be offering blankets and warm clothing. When the heat picks back up, we’ll pick our Cold Water Distribution back up!

Because collaboration and mutual aid are tenets of our work, we also regularly partner with other community-focused organizations to share, cook, and distribute food throughout the city.

The Nonprofit Industrial Complex serves as the Neighborhood Fridge's 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor and will be listed on your bank statement as such. NPIC takes no fees from the Neighborhood Fridge to serve as a sponsor and contributions to this project are tax-deductible.

Neighborhood Fridge

By The Nonprofit Industrial Complex Inc

Neighborhood Fridge

Orlando’s 100% volunteer-led Neighborhood Fridge organization addresses hunger & food waste