“Community fridges” have been established all over the country, as reported by the Today Show, with more and more appearing after this past spring. The holiday season has sprung upon us, and the pandemic is relentless, leaving plenty of families and individuals to still worry about food on their table.

Beacon’s first community fridge was unveiled in the last week of November 2020, as a fully functioning refrigerator sheltered by a wooden house built by Bryan Faubus with materials donated by Kevin Byrne. The community fridge is a collaboration project between Fareground, Beacon4BlackLives, and Binnacle Books; with advice and moral support provided by the Fridge Girls of NYC and the Kingston Community Fridges organization. You can easily find the self-stock refrigerator located behind Binnacle Books where a food pantry of nonperishable goods can also be easily accessed.

How The ‘Fridge At The Tiny Food Pantry Came To Be

The first meeting about the fridge project occurred in late September 2020. By November 25th, 2020, the fridge was plugged in and fully stocked by several members of the Beacon community. A need for direct aid in the community was evident back in April 2020 amidst the beginning of the pandemic.

Since Binnacle Books was closed to the public during the shutdown, they decided to convert their outdoor “dollar bookshelf” into a Tiny Food Pantry in collaboration with Fareground. By July 2020, the makeshift food pantry was upgraded to a permanent food pantry with a design uniform to the others that Fareground has established across Wappingers Falls, Beacon, and Fishkill.

Binnacle Books had to restock the shelf several times a week using donated funds to buy groceries, food provided by Fareground and Keyfood’s Donation Bin. In addition to these accessible food sources, several members of the community stop by to leave food on the shelves, and just as many people stop by to collect what they need. The pantry is still constantly cycling from full to empty every day, a clear sign indicating the dire need for direct aid for the Beacon Community, especially during these tough times. Any person can stock the refrigerator at any time with new, fresh, unopened items. Produce is accepted.

Who Maintains The Fridge?

Maintenance of the fridge has been tended by organizers from Beacon4BlackLives, Fareground, and Mark of Binnacle Books. A schedule of volunteers is being organized as the fridge will need cleaning and upkeep moving forward. Members of the community can get involved by simply swinging by to put food in the fridge or take what they need for themselves or to provide for others.

A Venmo is also set up to accept funds used to buy groceries, non-perishables, toiletries, tampons/pads, as well as cleaning supplies. Says Binnacle in their directions on Instagram: “the money will be used in one of a few ways: 1) to cover ~$20 / month to keep the fridge plugged in, 2) to keep the fridge stocked and clean, and 3) to keep the tiny food pantry out front stocked with non-perishables, toiletries, etc.”

The Venmo handle is @binnaclefoodjustice.

Future Growth For The Fridge At The Tiny Food Pantry

As for plans for future installations, there are no announcements yet, but there is definite interest in expanding the project. The City of Beacon has been discussing adding food security to their budget and discussions in 2021.

Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro announced via press release on December 22, 2020, that more than $150,000 has been allocated for local municipal projects promoting food security and safety for seniors.’ Beacon was a municipality that applied for and was awarded CARES funding, based on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) income guidelines, for efforts to promote food security and safety at local senior centers to enable them to be open for seniors.

Beacon was awarded $25,000 “for assistance to a local food bank to purchase food for distribution to low- and moderate-income households.” A Little Beacon Blog is following up on the destination of that allocation.

For more information about Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens in Beacon, see A Little Beacon Blog’s Food Pantry and Soup Kitchens Guide.