Students of McMaster University in Hamilton to launch on-campus community fridge

Hamilton | Community | People |

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Published December 14, 2021 at 12:18 pm

Students at McMaster University in Hamilton are working to open a community fridge on campus in the new year in an effort to help alleviate food insecurity. — Stock photo

Students from Hamilton’s McMaster University are looking to launch an on-campus community fridge in the new year and are asking for residents’ support to help make it happen.

The fridge, much like several others that can be found across Hamilton, will offer 24/7 access to nutritious and free produce, packaged meals and other food staples.

According to Mac’s website, this initiative is being undertaken by the school’s Wellness Centre, the MSU Food Collective Centre and students in the third-year course ‘Implementing Sustainable Change.’

The group organizing the initiative is hoping for a little community support to help get the fridge up and running by early 2022.

To this end, a fundraising campaign has been launched with the goal of raising $5,000 by Dec. 25. The funds will go primarily towards the purchase of food and non-perishable items, as well as the upkeep of the Community Fridge and the shelter protecting it.

As of publication, the campaign has raised close $800.

This will be the fourth Community Fridge in Hamilton. Currently, there is one located on the west Mountain, another in east Hamilton on Ottawa and one in the downtown on John St. N.

 

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A recent survey conducted by Meal Exchange Canada found that two-in-five Canadian university students experience food insecurity which has a negative impact on their mental and physical health.

“As a first-year student I was worried about the cost of food, plus the thought of leaving campus made me really nervous,” said Kathlyn Cheng, who is a Mac undergrad and one of the Community Fridge project members, on the university’s website.

“This community fridge will help make healthy food choices free and easily available for people, which would have been helpful.”

If making a donation isn’t feasible, other ways for the community to help get this initiative off the ground include:

  • Volunteering to help monitor, promote and sanitize the fridge once it’s up and running.
  • Follow along on Instagram @mcmastercommunityfridge, where more information will be released about the use of the fridge in the coming weeks.

To learn more about Mac’s community fridge program, visit the school’s website.

 

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