Starting on Friday September 25, St. Stephen's will be host to a Community Fridge! It will be located at the north side (back) of the building, off the main parking lot. This Community Fridge is offered in partnership with the Burnaby Primary Care Network.
https://burnabypcn.ca/a-new-community-fridge-is-coming-to-lougheed/
The St. Stephen's Community Fridge initiative is made possible by the generous donation of a brand-new fridge by Eternal Virtue, a registered charity supporting Canadians through food assistance, education, and community programs. Thank you to Eternal Virtue — it is a gift to have a fridge in top condition for this job!
The Burnaby Primary Care Network Community Fridge program provides access to food in a safe, low barrier and non-judgmental way. It provides a place for people in our neighbourhoods to give and take, to reduce waste and to build our food security in Burnaby. The fridges operate much like a "little free library" with volunteers at St. Stephen's helping to ensure it is maintained. You can learn more about community fridges here.
Three ways you can support the Community Fridge
1) Donate food to the fridge. Acceptable items are fresh produce (the celery bunch left after you used 3 stalks), dairy, bread, grab and go foods, and pantry items (all the granola bars you bought in bulk and then hated). Home cooked, expired, rotting, or open packages of food are not accepted.
2) Volunteer to help maintain the fridge. Take an extra few minutes when you are at church to check around and in the fridge. Clear out any food that's gone bad and clean up any spills.
3) Help stock the fridge with others' donations. We are sometimes notified of a large donation to another Community Fridge and need volunteers able to make short notice collection (many of these are from the Tian-Jin Temple at Smith and Canada Way). Local food businesses could also be encouraged to donate but often need someone willing to collect.
If you have questions about the fridge or about volunteering, please connect with Pastor Ruth at ruth@ststephenburnaby.ca