A LONG OVERDUE UPDATE FROM THE FRIDGE!
Hello everyone,
Can't believe the last post was in July 2019 - sorry, we have a very lazy web editor!!!
Thought we'd give you the highlights of the last 18 months:
In Aug.19, we hosted our first anniversary cream tea for all volunteers - cakes-a-plenty!
In Oct.19 we were proud runners up in the Observer Food Monthly awards!
In Nov.19 we installed our second new shed to house our growing collection of bits-and-bobs to replace its leaky predecessor.
End of year numbers for 2019: The Fridge redistributed 33 tonnes of perfectly edible food that would otherwise have gone to waste or landfill!
Over the last year we've bought an additional two freezers and fridges to increase our capacity.
The number of visitors per opening has over doubled in the last 12 months! Our record stands at over 160 bags off food given out in just one session!
In Mar.20 we were privileged to be awarded the title of Community Champions by the Chiltern District Council Community Awards 2020.
COVID-19 changes to operations: In order to keep our volunteers and visitors safe, we've had the teams work in family bubbles as much as possible, and rolled out a new pre-bagged system to minimize exposure and remain open!
End of year numbers 2020: This year, from Jan - Nov we have redistributed 80.5 tonnes, over 2.5x more than last year!
We want to say a big thank you to all our volunteers who have kept us opening and more productive than ever before through these tough times. We really miss all those volunteers who are still cheering us on from the side-lines. We're keeping everything crossed to be back to 'new' normal some point next year.
Thank you to all those offers from the public to volunteer, however at the moment the situation doesn't allow for new recruits! We'll let you know when this changes.
Thank you to all those businesses that have donated food over the year(s) - we really appreciate your support. Just to name a few, Tesco, Waitrose, Goddens, Gerry Martins, Global Infusions, Co-Op, Londis, M&S and many other small, local businesses - too numerous to mention!
Thank you to Waitrose who has had the Fridge on its green token scheme three times this year.
Lastly, a big thank you to the Felix Project who has kept us topped up with delicious food twice a week, without fail for the last year.
Total numbers: Over our lifetime the Fridge has redistributed over 120 tonnes of perfectly good food!