One donation at a time, volunteers can fill Kelowna Community Refrigerator and the stomachs of those experiencing food insecurity.
The Kelowna Community Fridge is a volunteer-run station with a fridge and some shelves that act as a pantry, creating a no-barrier, 24/7 service that is open to anyone to use and donate welcome.
“There’s an overwhelming amount of people experiencing insecurity,” said Ollie O’Neill, a Kelowna Community Fridge volunteer.
“People are in a position to make really tough decisions, like ‘Should I pay rent or feed my kids?’ No one should be in that position.
South Okanagan Food Bank, community fridge battling rising demand
Part of the Sun breaks apart and creates a strange vortex, scientists are amazed
The concept is nothing new. It’s been at the Downtown Kelowna Unitarian Church for a year and a half. It has now been upgraded and relocated outside Burke’s Hair Lounge on Lawrence Avenue.
Lisa Burke, owner of Burke Hair Lounge, keeps a close eye on the community fridge.
Purple Pantry Meets a Critical Community Need in Penticton
Exclusive: Widow’s 911 call before James Smith Cree Nation killings reveals prior violence
“I usually come in around nine and do one loop, around lunchtime I do another loop and that’s before I leave,” Burke said.
“Three volunteers a week quality-check and clean the fridge.”
Many of the donations come from partnerships with local businesses, grocery stores, and anyone who wants to donate. Burke says there is a wide range of people who use the community fridge.
“It is mostly seniors and families. The homeless community is welcome in the fridge, as they should be, but it’s mostly families, people my age and seniors,” Burke said.
The community fridge event has become so popular that it has expanded to a pop-up pantry once a month in Kelowna’s Rutland neighborhood on February 19 from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at Roxby Square.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.