St Pete Free Fridge is a community food pantry located at Bandit in the Grand Central District (2662 Central Avenue)
The kindness in the Sunshine City knowns no bounds. A Free Fridge opened in the Grand Central District outside Bandit Coffee Co. at 2662 Central Avenue back in August of 2020.
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Over the course of nearly one year this vital fridge has helped feed many in the surrounding area.
Here is a list of current needs from those who frequent the Free Fridge:
Water
Soda
Gatorade
Citrus (stays stable in heat)
Grab-and-Go Bars
Peanutbutter
Yogurt
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In addition to making donations to the fridge, you an also help by swinging by and organizing the pantry, sanitizing the surfaces, and taking/posting photos so the organizers known what they may need to fill it back up.
It’s open from 7:30am to 10pm. Residents are welcome to assist in cleaning the fridge, and bringing food/supply donations to the site. There’s also a shelf designated for dry goods.
If you plan to bring prepared meals to the St Pete Free Fridge, make sure you properly label it with the date it was packaged, a list of all active ingredients, and any allergens present if applicable.
What inspired this community fridge?
“I was inspired to bring this project to St. Pete after seeing other free fridge’s pop up across the country,” said one of the organizers in a DM to I Love the Burg. “Super thankful to the folks at Bandit for stepping up as the first location for St. Pete. Would love to try to set one up in another neighborhood that could reach different groups!”
Want to get involved?
The St. Pete Free Fridge has a form any willing resident can fill out. Those interested in helping with food pick-ups and drop-offs, making donations, or monitoring and cleaning the Fridge can inquire further here.
The community fridge is a direct response to food waste and the hunger crisis. While millions go hungry every year, nearly 30%-40% of food is wasted each year. This estimate, based on estimates from USDA’s Economic Research Service of 31 percent food loss at the retail and consumer levels, corresponded to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food.
Artists @abstractpoet @warm.spell collaged the fridge and @sunsigns.stpete provided the lettering.
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