by Izania Gonzalez

Data presented by the Northwest Bronx Food Justice Coalition shows that one in four households in the Northwest Bronx is food insecure.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, food insecurity occurs when an individual lacks access to safe and nutritious food necessary for growth and development.

Community services that provide meals or food pantries are available at locations such as Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, Riverdale Neighborhood House, and others.

One organization supporting local efforts to combat food insecurity is The Friendly Fridge, located at Manhattan’s College Parkway and West 242nd Street.

Fridge founders Sara Allen and Selma Raven began the project in 2020. Within two days, they had purchased a refrigerator, set it up on a sidewalk in Kingsbridge, and begun a journey that would change both of their lives.

With the fridge, they not only want to combat food shortages, but also food insecurity, so it’s important what food they give out.

In partnership with the organization Sharing Excess, The Friendly Fridge pays about $400 per week for a truck to transport pallets of fresh, leftover produce from Hunts Point Market for distribution in the greater Riverdale community.

Allen said the truck brings between 8,000 and 12,000 pounds of fresh produce on each delivery.

“Even though we cover a very small area, we sell more fresh produce than any pantry in this zip code,” Raven said.

According to Allen and Raven, the refrigerator never distributes cans as part of its food security efforts.

Raven is concerned that despite all the local partnerships, many people are unwilling to donate leftover meals because they fear being sued or held liable if they donate food.

But a law from 1996 protects donors.

The law was signed by then-President Bill Clinton in hopes of encouraging food and grocery donations. The law states that donors are protected from liability when they donate to nonprofits and from civil and criminal liability if a product donated in good faith causes harm.

Under this law, only those who donate intentionally or with gross negligence, knowing full well that their donation could harm the recipient, will be held liable.

In total, Allen said, the Friendly Fridge feeds about 1,800 people each week, and at the end of the month, when bills come due and paychecks come in, the number rises to 2,400.

“People say, ‘oh wow, you’re so successful,’ but actually it’s a shame that so many people are still hungry,” Raven said.

In addition to produce, the fridge features prepared meals from local partnerships with places like Marianne’s Pizza, Riverdale Bagels and Riverdale Country School.

Allen and Raven said Riverdale Country School is one of their biggest donors, bringing numerous trays of leftover lunch food, which they then package into individual meals and fill the refrigerator.

Your goal is to redirect as much as possible.

On refrigerator days – Monday, Wednesday and Friday – the refrigerator is disinfected and people from the community can bring and pick up groceries.

On distribution days, Tuesday and Thursday, people line up for the lunch distribution as early as 9:30 a.m.

Raven said she tries to reassure people that they won’t have to stand in bad weather and that the refrigerator will always have enough, but they still wait.

Produce and fresh bread from local bakeries are currently being provided for distribution, as this is done at the request of the municipality.

On those two days of the week, pallets of fresh produce are brought in from Hunts Point Market, and while they never know exactly what they’re going to get, Allen and Raven always know it will be enough, and there are often leftovers that they offer to other organizations or churches in the Bronx that they work with.

“We are using the resources available to us to rescue food that has already been produced and paid for and place it in an accessible location,” Allen said.

The only problem with the leftovers is transportation. Raven said other vendors sometimes have to throw food away because no one can come to pick up the leftovers, as there is hardly any money to deliver the food, let alone move it to another location.

Lilka Adams of Lloyd’s Carrot Cake said the shop donates cupcakes for the fridge every Thanksgiving. Adams said the shop was once run by her father, Lloyd Adams, and after his death, her mother, Betty Campbell-Adams. Lilka Adams took over the shop before her mother died, and she and her brother run the shop in hopes of continuing their parents’ legacy.

Campbell-Adams established the store’s relationship with the refrigerator, and the younger generation made it their mission to maintain that connection.

“We just want to continue to build that relationship in the community because without it there would be no Lloyd’s,” said Lilka Adams.

Although Raven and Allen never know what they’re going to get, they’re always excited about what the day will bring. Sometimes they get very special deliveries. Just last week they received yogurt, ground lamb and oxtail, foods that had never been in the fridge before, and one of their most coveted food groups – protein.

“Our specific mission is to keep food out of landfills so we can put very good, healthy food into the hands of people who need a little extra help,” Allen said.

While The Friendly Fridge is certainly not the only nonprofit in the Riverdale area addressing food insecurity, they estimate that they divert about 3,000 pounds of food each month, including fruits, vegetables and prepared meals.