Community Fridge to launch in Pollokshields

The Community Fridge will be run by Pollokshields Development Agency, supported by the environmental charity Hubbub and enabled by a grant from the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund.

On February 20, Councillor Jon Molyneux will cut a green ribbon to launch the Community Fridge followed by a celebration lunch and activities.

The PDA Goes Green Community Fridge, will be located at 4 Maxwell Road, and is part of a first wave of Community Fridge Network fridges in Scotland which will reduce food waste whilst bringing people together and encouraging a spirit of sharing within communities.

The charity will welcome donations of unopened, packaged foods within their use by date and raw fruit or vegetables, which will then be available to anyone in the community to take.

As well as reducing food waste, the group will use the fridge to strengthen community bonds, become a hub for food education and climate conversations, promoting the benefits of the sharing economy, addressing health and wellbeing and reducing social isolation.

The Pollokshields fridge is one of the first Community Fridges to be launched in Scotland, with others launching this spring in Gorebridge, Dundee and Kirkcaldy.

Tahir Mohammed, PDA’s Secretary said: “This is an amazing project, the benefits of this community fridge are manifold. It could extend beyond providing people with easy access to fresh nutritious food and reducing food waste, to impacts on health and wellbeing and reducing social isolation.

“As this project grows we will encourage more and more people to make full use of this facility and build a culture that is warm, welcoming and inclusive, as it becomes embedded in communities across the Southside of Glasgow.

“All our visitors are welcome to get involved, whether by giving or receiving food or coming along to our free Energy Advice drop-in surgeries and food and textile waste reduction workshops, and to be art of PDA Goes Green Advisory Board.

Cllr Jon Molyneux, Scottish Green Party Councillor for Pollokshields Ward, said: “A community fridge is a really simple idea which can stop the needless waste of perfectly good food, saving money and fighting climate breakdown. I’m delighted that the people of Pollokshields are going to be among the first in Glasgow to benefit from this exciting opportunity.”

The Fridge will be open from February 21; Monday-Wednesday and Friday, (10.30- 2.30pm) and Thursday (12- 4pm)

More information can be found at www.hubbub.org.uk/communityfridgenetwork.