Freeges for All

Featured in Vol 8, Issue 2: Philanthropy

The  City of Jackson in partnership with JACOA and First Methodist Downtown recently opened two free community fridges at 900 E Chester St and 200 S Church St. This project is sponsored by the highly-competitive 2022 AARP Community Challenge grant, awarded to the City of Jackson as one of 260 quick-action projects out of 3,200 applications nationwide.

These community fridges joined an international network of hundreds of community fridges, and will serve as a pilot program for expanding food access and addressing food insecurity in Jackson. More information on the network can be found at freedge.org or on the Jackson, TN Community Fridges Facebook page. The community fridges will be open to all residents of Jackson to take or donate food, with a 5 item limit per person when taking food. Produce, dairy, eggs, pre-packaged prepared food, beverages, bread items, yogurt, deli meat (cooked), and individual meals prepared in commercial kitchens are all accepted. Non-perishables, raw meat, expired food, or food prepared in a private home can not be accepted. 

The Jackson Community Fridges will also be working in partnership with Give Back Jack to join the existing network of food donations and volunteers here in Jackson. As part of the AARP grant award, the City of Jackson received funding to stock the fridges once a week for 10-12 weeks. However, when this funding runs out the fridges will rely solely on donations from the community. We are looking to set up partnerships now to get local businesses and groups involved in creating a regular donation schedule. This could be once a month, once a week, or even for holidays. 

These community fridges are not meant to take the place of food banks or operate as a grocery store, but rather to help supplement a few items to help lower the cost of grocery bills. The intention behind the community fridges is to expand on existing mutual aid initiatives, which allow the community to share food and reduce food waste, while increasing access to fresh food items for those in need.