Community Fridge

What is the Community Fridge?
Did you know: 13 million people in the UK are struggling to afford to eat? Over 6.4 million tonnes of the food that goes to waste each year is still edible. That’s enough for 10.5 billion meals!
The Community Fridge is a great way to reduce this waste whilst also helping people to access fresh food and tackle food insecurity. 

Businesses and retailers donate surplus food to the Community Fridge. We never know what will be donated and how much; it differs from week to week! We also purchase food to supplement the donated food we receive, and we have just started to grow food too.

We can accept donations of store cupboard food from individuals, providing they are unopened and in sealed packaging.

If you grow your own fruit or vegetables, we’d be delighted to receive any surplus produce you may have. The Community Fridge has so far been hugely successful.  On average, we stop 1 tonne of food per month from going to landfill and help over 200 people per week, many of whom would otherwise have difficulty accessing fresh produce. All staff are food safety trained and we’ve had a 5-star food rating since opening in early 2019.

Swansea Community Fridge is part of the Community Fridge Network co-ordinated by Hubbub.

Where does this fit in with Goleudy?

As an organisation that endeavours to improve the livelihood and wellbeing of those we serve, we believe that this initiative could help improve the lives of those who experience food insecurity by offering healthy food sources and making positive steps towards sustainability within the community.

How the fridge works

The Community Fridge is open every Wednesday between 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm.

You’ll find us at The Customs House, Cambrian Place, The Marina, Swansea, SA1 1RG; please come to the side black gates, and look for our flag and blackboard. You may have to queue at busy times. Our what3words location is invent.haven.menu

If it is your first time using the Fridge, we will take some personal details from you. This is for registration and reporting purposes only. We keep your information secure and do not pass it on to anyone.

Food parcels will be packed for you based on the choices you make. We ask all visitors only to request what they need. We strive to make our Community Fridge as eco-friendly as possible and require Fridge users to bring their own bag to carry their food home.

Please note that we are not able to provide a delivery service.

Donations

This is a very valuable service, and we want to ensure it’s sustainable so more people can benefit. We are a charitable organisation and don’t receive any statutory funding for running the Community Fridge.  We apply for small grants that are available from time to time, raise money from staff raffles/fundraising activities, etc., and from donations from Fridge users.

To help us to keep this project running and to develop the service further, we ask that all visitors/community fridge users make a donation. Just a small donation can make a big difference and benefits hundreds of people a week whilst also contributing to a better environment for the local community. For example, it could go towards the running costs of the van we use for food collections, the electricity for the fridges and freezers, or the cost of the additional food supplies we purchase.

You can donate by cash or card at the window on a Wednesday. Alternatively, you can donate via our Just Giving page or via our Bankuet page. We also have an Amazon wishlist where items can be bought and sent directly to us.

We welcome all donations, no matter how small.

We have also established a range of partnerships with other organisations, including schools, projects, clubs, etc., which has helped us reach those needing our services the most.

Please visit the services section below to learn more about our services and how they might benefit you or your community.

Get Involved

At the Community Fridge, we are fortunate to have an amazing team of staff and volunteers, but we’re always looking for an extra pair of hands to help us ensure that the service we provide is the best it can be.

If you want to learn more about volunteering, please email communityfridge@goleudy.org for further details.

Follow us on social media to find out our latest news and what we’re up to – Twitter: @FridgeSwansea & Facebook: Swansea Community Fridge

Terms of Use

There are no pre-qualifying criteria for our Community Fridge service, but we do require you to provide some personal details to register. We use this information for registration, statistical, and reporting purposes only.

We remind all fridge users to be polite and respectful to our staff and volunteers, who will do their best to help you. Rudeness or aggression will not be tolerated, and we may decline to serve you.

Many of the items we offer may have passed their ‘best before’ date but not their ‘use by’ date. This is a mark of quality rather than an expiration date, so these items will most likely still be safe to eat. However, we would like to note that the customer accepts responsibility for ensuring that any food they take is safe to eat and ask that you take the time to read our disclaimer.