Yahoo News Column: Door closed on community fridge in Aurora for now, but new site may be announced soon
As the saying goes - or at least it should - one person’s idea is at the very least food for thought.
Especially if it can help feed the hungry.
Which is why Indivisible Aurora was so gung-ho on its Community Fridge Project, a grassroots effort created in December of 2021 as a simple-access outreach that would get food to those needing it most.
Last October, however, before this project hit its second anniversary, the city of Aurora ordered the shut-down of the fridge, which sat outside the first level patio of its host site, Endiro Coffee in the city’s downtown.
The reasons given, says Luma Webster, executive director of Indivisible Aurora, which on Tuesday afternoon officially announced its name change to Aurora Mutual Aid, were complaints from some local businesses and because the deck that sits a floor above the fridge had structural issues which needed repairs.
That work will take place as the weather warms, says Aurora city spokesman Clayton Muhammad, who also confirmed that there were some complaints from businesses that the area was not always kept clean or organized.
Webster insists neither her volunteers nor Endiro employees registered or heard such criticisms about the fridge, which was kept filled with fresh produce and meats, with canned items and paper bags clustered around it so that people could easily come and go, taking what they needed 24/7.
The goal was that volunteers certified in food-handling safety cleaned it once a week, checking the site daily to make sure all health rules were followed.
From December of 2021 to October of 2023, noted Webster, her group in partnership with the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry, more than 31,250 pounds of food was distributed at this site and through its “community sandwich parties” over 2,000 sandwiches were made.
“That obviously doesn’t include the groceries, cooked meals and other food items donated by the community in their own time,” she added.
The project was, indeed, deemed so successful when I reported on it a year ago there were plans for opening another site. More recently, they were thrilled when a second fridge was gifted to them by 16-year-old Micah Ginsberg, who raised the funds for his Eagle Scout project.
Tragically, not long after Webster and her group were told the initial site was being shut down, Micah, a 16-year-old Waubonsie Valley High School student, was killed in a traffic accident while riding his bike. His efforts were recognized at the Nov. 6 Indian Prairie School Board meeting. And at the meeting two weeks later, Micah’s death was recognized with a moment of silence after District 204 Superintendent Adrian Talley described him as a young man “who made a difference in the world the short time he was with us.”
The death of this popular teen was “devastating” to an entire community, said Webster, noting that the organization is determined to find a place for Micah’s fridge to memorialize the young Scout who cared so deeply about helping others.
On Tuesday afternoon, Indivisible Aurora officially announced the organization’s name has been changed to Aurora Mutual Aid, while also noting it was “finalizing details” and will soon reveal a new location for the original community fridge.
“In the meantime, we want to put out a call for help” in finding a host for the second community fridge donated by Micah Ginsberg, said Aurora Mutual Aid Communications Director Nick Thompson.
“Please contact us if you or someone you know has space available or would like to support our mission,” he continued. “Your generosity and support are necessary to transform our community and create substantive change.”
Unlike food pantries which have set hours, registrations and long lines, community fridges - they began popping up all over the country after the pandemic and have multiplied due to the state of the economy - don’t have someone overseeing access, which can take place at any time.
In my initial column about the project, an Endiro manager described the project as “very successful,” and stressed how respectful users had been.
Muhammad says the city understands the goal of this project and would like to work with the group now known as Aurora Mutual Aid to find other sites.
There’s no question an unmanned food giveaway out in the open could be a challenge to monitor around the clock. But as another saying (definitely) goes, where there’s a will there’s a way.
Besides, too much is at stake here, especially this time of year. So here’s hoping that Aurora’s Community Fridge does not get left out in the cold.
This column was updated on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
