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ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -The free food fridge outside Honest Weight Food Co-op has been available to the community since January 2023 thanks to Free Food Fridge Albany. Both groups say they have heard people in the area had no idea the free resource was there and wanted to change that.
The thirteen fridges operating with Free Food Albany are open to anyone in need of food. Decorated by local artists, the founder says this is to make them easier to approach.
“The more that we can invite them in to know that this thing is theirs and that they can take from it, they can give to it, whatever they want. A nice beacon for something that doesn’t have a good light on it, which is food insecurity,” described Jammella Anderson with Free Food Fridge Albany.
The fridge on Watervliet Avenue wasn’t as colorful as the rest until December 2023. The project reached out to the nearby Henry Johnson Charter School, asking their students for inspiration.
“We actually had about 75 third graders do some brainstorming about imagery and symbolism about fresh food, community, and sharing,” said Art Teacher at the Henry Johnson Charter School, Phil Shaw.
Three students were chosen to inspire a local artist, who painted based on their designs. The Albany skyline, nature, and fruit all made it onto the fridge and its shelter. The kids were eager to help and said this project became more important to them the more they talked about it.
“I can show that everything’s welcome and every person is,” said Aunri Douglas.
“Giving, wanting people to know that if they’re homeless, this is the place that they can get food,” added Mofeoluwa Atoyebi.
Their teacher, Mr. Shaw, hopes this is only the start of his students helping bring food to Albany. “It’s not, we stop and only talk about this once. Them being able to verbalize that. Maybe if someone can’t walk into a store and say, “Hey, I need food.” That’s right there. You can get it kind of anonymously and they understand that.”
Anderson says all thirteen fridges in Albany are filled regularly. The fridge on Watervliet Ave is set to be filled again on December 15, 2023.
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