For more than two years, we’ve been part of a growing effort to break down barriers to food access for everyone by keeping food out of landfills and put it back into our community. When Sustainable Connections Toward Zero Waste team invited us to host their very first community refrigerator, The Freedge, we couldn’t wait to make it happen.
If you wander over to our garden behind the warehouse, you’ll spot a custom built shed holding a repurposed filing cabinet and a donated beverage fridge. Along with the shed, Matt Vaughn, the lead design/builder at The RE Store, also crafted a cabinet for compost, recycling, and trash so visitors can dispose of their waste responsibly.
Located at 2316 Kulshan St. Bellingham, WA 98225.
Behind The RE Store near The RE Patch community garden 🥕
Now the Freedge is ready for you!
You’ll find the community fridge packed with free individual portions of surplus food from local restaurants, garden produce, and shelf stable pantry items. It’s open to the public whenever the store is open: Monday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm. Come by, take what you need, or leave something fresh to share with your neighbors.
The Freedge is always looking for donors and volunteers to help with the daily tasks of keeping the fridge stocked and safe for everyone. Want to learn more about visiting or donating food?
And it doesn’t stop there!
The Toward Zero Waste crew has launched two more Freedge locations with local partners, spreading this inspiring resource across Whatcom and Skagit County.
The Freedge has been such a success that there’s now a step-by-step manual for anyone who wants to start a community fridge of their own.
If you’d like to get more involved, email: foodrecovery@sustainableconnections.org.
