DETROIT (WXYZ) — Community fridges offering free food have become a mainstay in several Detroit neighborhoods, providing 24/7 access to those in need.
The Field Street Community Fridge in Detroit's Islandview neighborhood is one of six such fridges across the city offering free food to anyone who needs it.
"The community has helped me in many ways and I'm inclined to help," Belinda Gilmore said.
Gilmore, a retired social worker, created the community fridge and freezer in 2022, inspired by her work with her church.
"There's been an increase in the number of larger families and an increase in the number of seniors who are coming for food," Gilmore said.
What began as a small operation in her church's basement quickly expanded.
Here are the community fridges across Detroit:
"The cooking of food, the sorting of food and distributing, which was going on in the basement of the church every Sunday. From that, I became a pick-up person and did it out of my garage a few years, then became part of the big distribution of USDA boxes just before COVID started at the church. We overgrew the church parking lot and came here," Gilmore said.
According to Gilmore, the Islandview neighborhood has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in Detroit.
Richelle Raymond visits the community fridge weekly to pick up essentials.
"More than likely, I'll have vegetables because that's most of the time what they have and they're pretty expensive — you can't deny," Raymond said.
Raymond not only takes food when needed but contributes when she can.
"It's about sharing and we all deserve a little bit," Raymond said.
The community fridge concept gained popularity nationwide starting in 2020.
Mark Covington runs the Georgia Street Community Collective on Vinton Avenue near Georgia Street, another community fridge location in Detroit.
"It's not about feeding the poor or feeding the needy. It's about feeding people," Covington said.
Covington has been growing fresh fruits and vegetables in his urban farm since 2008 and added a community fridge in recent years.
"We wanted people to be able to have free access to food that we grew, but they weren't picking right, so stuff was dying. And then I figured if I built a farm stand, we could pick for them, put it on the farmstand and some stuff would go in the refrigerator, so I said I'm going to put a refrigerator out there, and then that turned into other people bringing stuff," Covington said.
Annie Price is one of those community members who contributes regularly.
"One day as I was driving up my street coming home, I saw a young boy with his dad looking in the refrigerator, so that appeared to me that he was hungry and when I saw that, I was like oh my gosh. So, when I cook a meal for my family, a large meal, I share down the street," Price said.
For Gilmore, the initiative is about giving back.
"I feel I have to give back because so much was given to me," Gilmore said.
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