The Watertown Community Fridge is an outdoor refrigerator and small food pantry located at the Belmont-Watertown United Methodist Church, 80 Mt. Auburn St., near Watertown Square. It is maintained solely by volunteers.
Operating on the principle: Take what you need, give what you can, the Fridge provides free food to anyone in need, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no questions asked.
In this time of high inflation, many people in our community are experiencing food insecurity, and are not able to afford basic necessities, like food and personal hygiene products. All too often, folks must choose between buying food or paying for rent and heat. Federal food subsidies for people with low incomes are being scaled back, so buying food is becoming even more difficult for many families and individuals of all ages. The Community Fridge is one of only a few sources of free food for many in Watertown, including older adults, newly-arrived immigrants, those who are unemployed for medical reasons, and families with young children. The need is enormous.
Please help! The Fridge depends on the generosity of the people of Watertown in order to meet the food needs of our neighbors. Here’s how you can help:
• Bring a donation of food or personal hygiene items to the Fridge any time.
Items accepted include fresh, frozen, or homemade foods, as well as tooth brushes, toothpaste, diapers, baby wipes, and women’s hygiene products. All packages must be unopened, and food items must be clearly labeled with ingredients and expiration dates. (No expired food please!)
The Fridge does NOT accept medicine, clothing, shoes, toys, or other household items.
• Donate money to the Fridge by Venmo @WatertownCommunityFridge or by check in any amount payable to Watertown Community Fridge, and mailed to Nancy Dutton, Treasurer, 198 Bellevue Road, Watertown, MA 02472. All monetary contributions will be used to purchase food for the Fridge.
Your support of the Community Fridge will make all the difference for the many folks in Watertown who struggle to find enough to eat every single day. On behalf of each and every one, THANK YOU!
Submitted by Will Twombly
For the Community Fridge Coordinating Committee and other volunteers
I would like to make a monetary gift via Venmo. I wanted to make sure all funds given via venmo go towards purchasing of food and not a certain percentage.
Hi Joelle
My name is Steven and I am on the WCF steering committee. I can assure you that we use all funds from our donations to acquire food and hygiene products for the Fridge.
thanks so much for your support. You can reach us at watertowncommunityfridge@gmail.com
thanks-Steven
Thank you so much, Joelle! We really appreciate your kindness and generosity. We can assure you that every dollar donated to the Fridge will be used to purchase food for those in need. As the article states, the Fridge is maintained solely by volunteers, and the Methodist Church has been kind enough to provide space and electricity free of charge. A donation of any amount will be enormously appreciated! Thank you again!
Will
Could the Boys & Girls club be home to the community fridge?
If I don’t see a response here I may walk over tomorrow and ask.
Why? It has a home in Watertown Square!
David, thanks for your good question. Because the B-W United Methodist Church is being renovated, the Watertown Food Pantry, housed in the church basement, will need to find a new home. However, because the Community Fridge is outside the building, we are planning for it to remain on the church grounds. This location is ideal, as it’s in a central location and on a major bus line. We agree, the Boys and Girls Club might be an excellent site for a second community fridge and/or small outdoor food pantry. Because the need is so great, we would encourage anyone who may be interested to explore this possibility with the club. We would be happy to share all that we’ve learned in the process of setting up the fridge at the church.