Small fridge to fill a big need: Kits gets a new community pantry

Small fridge to fill a big need: Kits gets a new community pantry

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In North America, community pantries combat food insecurity at the neighborhood level. The idea is “give what you can, take what you need”.

Volunteer Mona Grenier helps stock a new community pantry and refrigerator outside the Kitsilano Neighborhood House. Pantries are a place where donors can drop off food and patrons can grab what they need, 24 hours a day, no questions asked.
Volunteer Mona Grenier helps stock a new community pantry and refrigerator outside the Kitsilano Neighborhood House. Pantries are a place where donors can drop off food and patrons can grab what they need, 24 hours a day, no questions asked. Photo by Francis Georgiano /png

Fridges filled with free food are popping up in more Vancouver neighborhoods, including outside the Kitsilano Neighborhood House.

The new communal fridge and pantry looks like a small shed with a heavy door to keep out rodents and raccoons. Inside, the fridge holds a rotating stock of eggs, dairy, meat and produce, as well as well-prepared meals and sandwiches, while a small shelf houses dry goods. The fridge receives power from the house in the neighborhood, but it is open 24 hours.

The idea is to provide people facing food insecurity with an easy way to access healthy food in their own neighborhood, volunteer Mona Grenier said. No one turned around, no questions and no shame.

“The idea is to give what you can, take what you need,” he said Saturday.

Anyone can donate food to the community pantry, says volunteer Mona Grenier. Volunteers also stock coolers with unwanted but not expired items from local markets.
Anyone can donate food to the community pantry, says volunteer Mona Grenier. Volunteers also stock coolers with unwanted but not expired items from local markets. Photo by Francis Georgiano /png

Built by Alair, a home construction and renovation company, the community pantry is maintained by volunteers, including Grenier, who seek donations from community businesses.

Some food may be close to its expiration date, but never past its expiration date, he said, and it never lasts that long anyway. The need is great and the response is quick. Volunteers follow Second Harvest’s guidelines on expiration dates and food safety and do not accept open containers.

“There is always an imbalance between supply and demand,” said Grenier, who also helps supply other Vancouver Community Pantries. “The demand is higher. Any food that goes in, comes back out in a few hours.”

She is “thrilled” when she notices food donations filling the pantry when it arrives with unwanted items from local markets. That means a neighborhood is starting to take over.

Community pantries became popular in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. People were more connected to their neighbors and worried that they would not be able to access food. Building on the idea of ​​the “little free library”, fridges began to appear in cities around the world, including Vancouver. A online database shows pantries in Chilliwack and Kelowna. Some University campuses have them too.

The small shed outside the Kitsilano Neighborhood House contains a refrigerator and several shelves for dry goods.
The small shed outside the Kitsilano Neighborhood House contains a refrigerator and several shelves for dry goods. Photo by Francis Georgiano /png

Grenier got involved when a friend mentioned that he restocked a community refrigerator on the Downtown Eastside. He decided to help and then became hooked, visiting local businesses several times a week to collect food donations and transport them to a network of Vancouver refrigerators.

He said community pantries fill a different need than the traditional food bank, which can be more difficult to access.

“There are external barriers, like finding transportation to get to the food bank or figuring out how to transport a load of food on the bus,” he said. “There may also be internal barriers, such as shame or fear of being rejected.”

In North America, community pantries combat food insecurity at the neighborhood level. The idea is “give what you can, take what you need”.
In North America, community pantries combat food insecurity at the neighborhood level. The idea is “give what you can, take what you need”. Photo by Francis Georgiano /png

Community pantries aim to be as accessible as possible. While they are used by the homeless in some places, they also provide food for low-income seniors or families who might have a hard time affording healthier foods, like fresh produce or canned meats.

Grenier would love to see more pantries, with the goal of having one within walking distance of every neighborhood in Vancouver.

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