The Kelowna Community Fridge has found a home, which means it’s time to build the shed and pantry for it.
Lauren St. Clair is a member of the group, and she said they have spoken with the Kelowna Unitarians, who have a building located on Bertram Street in the city’s downtown.
She said they’re now putting together drafts of what the shed could look like.
“There are still details we have to talk about, but the Unitarians said they’re thinking of building the shed the weekend after next, so we can probably get the fridge in there in the next week and a half or so,” she said.
“It all depends on when the shed is built because we’ll still have to go in and paint it and finish it before we install the fridge, but it will all happen within this month.”
The group launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the shed and pantry materials and help the group stock the shed with food, hygiene items, cleaning supplies for the volunteers, and overall maintenance costs.
St. Clair said it’s exciting and a long time coming, given that the group started meeting and fine-tuning their idea since fall last year.
She said most of the group’s time so far was spent looking for a suitable location, and now that they have one, they’re just making sure everything else is planned for.
“It’s just so exciting, and it feels really rewarding. I mean, it will definitely be even more rewarding once it’s actually up.”
“We’re just so excited to have this actually available for those who need it and to get the community involved in it.”
The Kelowna Community Fridge was started by residents Lauren St. Clair and Amie Rand to have a publicly accessible fridge and pantry stocked with essentials so residents who need a hand can get it easily.
Rand previously said the community fridge comes when so many people have been pushed towards precarious financial situations due to job losses.
Both St. Clair and Rand said the community fridge will provide a low barrier for struggling residents who may not get the help they need at a local food bank.
READ MORE: Kelowna’s first community fridge needs a home
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