March 14, 2024 · 0 Comments
By Brian Lockhart
The Community Living Association for South Simcoe (CLASS) community fridge will open by mid-March.
Inspired by other community food pantries, CLASS staff member Courtney Johnston proposed the idea of helping those in the Alliston area with food insecurity by opening a Community Fridge program.
With support from the County of Simcoe, CLASS has announced the launch of a new innovative program for the community and the people they support. The goal is to address food insecurity in South Simcoe.
The program will offer free access to nutritious foods while giving those they support some great on-the-job skills and knowledge to pursue employment in the community through volunteering.
A community fridge is where people who need food can access the fridge and take a few day’s worth of food. It also complements other resources available in the community to relieve hunger.
No personal information is being collected to access the Community Fridge.
The FIRST-CLASS Community Fridge will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. This will accommodate many different families working a variety of shifts.
The fridge can be accessed by anyone in need from Simcoe County. The fridge is in a separate room with outside access only.
For donations, they will accept produce, dry goods, hygiene items, pet food, canned goods, fresh meat as long as it’s not frozen or past its best-before date, store bout bread and pasties, dairy products, eggs, and prepared meals from a public health-certified kitchen. Food from a kitchen must be labelled with the expiry date and possible allergens.
The location of this community fridge is 125 Dufferin St., Alliston, with the entrance on the north side of the parking lot.
The CLASS grand opening of the Community Fridge will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2024, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.
A vendor market will also take place on the same day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The entry fee for the event is $2 or a food donation.
Proceeds from this event will go towards purchasing food for the Fridge program.