Durham Community Fridge opens new location on Chapel Hill Road

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Even before the pandemic, about 1 in 4 Latino and 1 in 6 Black Durham County residents skipped meals or ate less because they didn't have enough money. With inflation, that food insecurity problem has only gotten worse.

Now people in the community are stepping up to help with a stocked refrigerator right in the middle of your neighborhood. There's food for anyone who needs it and it all started with an old fridge.

"I had an old refrigerator. I was getting a new refrigerator and I was like, 'I really don't want to just throw this away.' So what can we do with it?" said Taylor Holenbeck, Durham Community Fridge.

The idea behind the Durham Community Fridge was born. In October of last year, the first fridge opened at St. Joseph's Episcopal Church on West Main Street.

"We have so much abundance in our community, it's just a matter of logistics and distributing it and creating access," Holenbeck said.

Businesses and volunteers stock the fridge everyday. By the end of the day, it's empty. With such a need, the second location officially opened on Friday. This time at Part & Parcel on Chapel Hill Road.

"This fridge being here is the manifestation of community work. It is representing the way multiple businesses, multiple neighbors, organizations nonprofits are coming together to show up for one another," said T Land, Part & Parcel.

Free food, full bellies and creating change in the Durham community, one fridge at a time.

The grand opening event for the second refrigerator has been postponed because of the weather. It's now happening next Friday, July 21 from 5 until 8 p.m.

Currently, the fridge is up and running and stocked with food. If you'd like to help stock the refrigerators or maintain them more information can be found on Instagram.