Help Madison Community Fridges Stay Alive!

Madison Community Fridges was created in 2020 to help provide food for our community during a pandemic. The Johnson fridge originally started with the beloved refrigemonster (pictured above, fridge painted by local artist), was the first of its kind in Madison, and has made its roots in the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood. It presented a new way for anyone to access food, any time of day, anonymously, with no barriers and full agency; to take what they wanted and leave what they did not. We didn’t know where this would take us, but we now have turnaround times of less than 72 hours for a fully stocked fridge to be completely gone. An inclusive environment has been created by all of us to take care of one another. And, as grassroots as this project is, we knew we’d have hiccups along the way. The City of Madison cited us (our Johnson fridge, specifically) for some zoning regulations; we ended up having to find a new fridge and new hosts. Christ Presbyterian Church has lovingly decided to host our Fridge - but because of the zoning regulations, we also had to buy an outdoor rated fridge which took up all of our funds ($3150) and left us short for everything else. Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association (TLNA) has supported us by providing a $1000 grant but we are still in need of $2000 for building materials for an adequate shed. Our budget below describes our current and future needs:

• $2000 for Johnson Fridge Shed
• $1300 for Mills Fridge Upgrade to Outdoor Rated Fridge
• $1200 for Mills Fridge Shelter Upgrade
• $4000 for groceries, maintenance, and cleaning supplies

Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) and Madison Community Fridges have done due diligence to make this a long-term fixture of this grassroots community resource. This included communicating with neighbors, hosting informational sessions, and having a transition plan in place. In order to have 0 days of interrupted service, our plan is to have the outdoor-rated fridge in its new location while we go through the proper steps to get the permitting for a shelter.

We want to thank everyone who is participating, volunteering, and or supporting our efforts in every way. Originally, the mission was to provide barrier-free free food to anyone, 24/7. It was a makeshift endeavor, learning as we went along. We have regular food stocking days, cleanup crews, and outpours of appreciation and love from the community. Our shelters withstood a harsh winter and we have been able to consistently provide folks with food 24/7 regardless of the weather or holidays! It is truly amazing to see the community investment and pride that is taken into our fridges.

Christ Presbyterian Church, partnered with the Tenney Lapham Neighborhood Association and Madison Community Fridge, to become the new home to this effective mission as a way to be in community with our neighbors. The Mills fridge, in partnership with Neighborhood House and Wonka's Harvest, is still available but will also need an upgrade in order to secure it as a safe, welcoming, long-term fixture. We acknowledge that the incurred costs of this project and the requirements imposed by regulations have made this endeavor prohibitive to neighbors that do not have these finances and resources available (time and money).

Your contribution will really make a difference to fight food insecurity which one in seven people are experiencing in Wisconsin. Among children that number is one in four.

Help us fight food insecurity in Wisconsin!