Community Fridge

What is the Community Fridge?

Did you know: 8.4 million people in the UK are struggling to afford to eat? Over 2 million tonnes of the food that goes to waste each year is still edible? That’s enough for 1.3 billion meals!

The Community Fridge is a great way to reduce this waste, whilst also helping people to access fresh food and tackle food poverty. 

Businesses and retailers donate surplus food to the Community Fridge, and we distribute it to members of the community. We never know what will be donated and how much, it differs week to week! Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions we are currently unable to accept food donations from individuals. However, you can pay as you feel, either by putting some money in the bucket or through our Just Giving Page.

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 100 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.

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 to improve the lives of those who experience food poverty, by offering healthy food sources, while also making positive steps towards sustainability within the community.

How the fridge works

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

You’ll find us at The Customs House, Cambrian Place, The Marina, Swansea, SA1 1RG. Please come to the side gate. You may have to queue. Please respect current rules on social distancing and wear a face covering.

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. All we ask is that visitors only request what they need. We provide all users with a freshly washed cloth bag on every visit, which needs to be returned the next time you come along, so that we can have it laundered.  This enables us to keep staff and users safe, while also eliminating use of paper and plastic, making the project more eco-friendly.

We appreciate that not everybody is able to attend the Fridge themselves. In which case someone can collect on your behalf, whether they’re friends, family or community volunteers. You will need to notify us of the name of the person collecting for you by 5pm on the Tuesday before Fridge day. Please email communityfridge@goleudy.org.

Donations

This is a very valuable service and we want to make sure 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 come available from time to time, raise money from staff raffles/fundraising activities, etc., and from donations from Fridge users.

The service runs on a “pay as you feel” or donation basis. Just a small donation can make a big difference. Your donations will help us to keep the project running and to develop our services, which benefit hundreds of people a week and contribute to a better environment for the local community. For example, it could go towards the laundry costs for our sustainable bags, the fuel for the van for our food collections, or the electricity for the fridges.

If you’d like to help us, please use the “pay as you feel” box at the window.

Alternatively, you can donate via our Just Giving page.

We welcome all donations, no matter how small.

We have also established a range of partnerships with other agencies who work with those experiencing social exclusion or financial hardship, which has helped us to reach those who may need our services the most.

To find out more about our services and how they might benefit you or your community, please visit the services section below.

Get Involved

At the Community Fridge, we are very lucky to have an amazing team of staff and volunteers but we’re always looking for an extra pair of hands in the fight against food waste. 

We anticipate having a variety of volunteer opportunities in the future, including collectors, customer assistants, stock/packing assistants and social media assistants.  Whether you’re interested in an existing role or you feel as though there’s something you can bring to the table, please email communityfridge@goleudy.org for further details.

Terms of Use

There are no pre-qualifying criteria for any Community Fridge services but we do ask that you provide some personal details in order to register and that you only take what you need. The service runs on as pay as you feel or donation basis.  This will help us to keep the project running for example, it could cover laundry costs, van fuel, or electricity for the fridges. I will also help us to further develop our services.

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.