Q&A from our first public meeting

Thanks to everyone who joined our first public meeting! We’ve put together answers to some of the questions that came up and hope this adds clarity for anyone interested in our project.

  1. Do you have a website? With donation button and place for donors to bring food?
    • We have a website! kelownacommunityfridge.ca ; our donations page is currently ‘paused’ as we are working towards being able to accept donations. 
  2. How are you going to keep the fridge secure?
    • We acknowledge that there will be some level of risk involved from running the fridge in a way accessible to everyone. Rather than trying to eliminate that risk, our focus will be on having the right systems in place to respond if anything happens. We are hoping to place the fridge in a well-lit, high traffic area to help discourage vandalism or misuse. We also recognize that outdoor conditions pose challenges; in the past, some fridges have failed due to winter weather, as most are not designed for prolonged outdoor use. To prepare for that, we’re looking at having the fridge inside a structure, with insulation, air circulation, and possible heating for winter to ensure both the fridge and its contents stay secure. We’re also exploring having back up fridges ready in storage, as well as community partnerships to help with maintenance and replacements. Overall, it’s about being proactive, visible, and prepared so the fridge can stay running as reliably as possible!
  3. Have you considered approaching City Hall as a location to host?
    • We’re currently in the early stages of identifying potential host locations and plan to begin reaching out over the next couple of weeks. City Hall is definitely something we can consider as part of that process. Our main priorities for a host site are high foot traffic, strong visibility, overall safety, and accessibility by transit. Ideally, we’re hoping for a downtown location to maximize accessibility and community use. As we move forward, we’ll be evaluating locations based on those criteria.
  4. What will future meetings look like in terms of structure and participation?
    • After this meeting, we’ll be developing a clearer timeline and meeting structure. We’re thinking about holding meetings roughly once a month and continuing to involve more community members, whether in person or through a Zoom option, to make participation as accessible as possible.
  5. Does day-old food pose a liability issue?
    • Liability is an important consideration. Food donations are generally protected under Good Samaritan laws, including the BC Food Donor Encouragement Act, which encourages food donation by limiting liability when food is given in good faith and is safe at the time of donation. As long as there is no negligence, donors are typically fully protected. When the fridge operated previously, there were no legal issues related to food safety. That said, we take safety seriously. “Day-old” food does not mean expired or unsafe, it typically refers to food that is still within its safe consumption window but no longer fresh enough to sell at full price; we would not accept expired or partially consumed items. Our goal is to ensure that all donated food is safe, properly handled, and suitable for community use.
  6. How can we plan in advance to counter creeping charity culture in our project?
    • To counter creeping charity culture, we can plan proactively by emphasizing mutual aid, the idea that everyone both gives and receives support. We can reinforce this through our messaging on social media, our website, and by our fridge representatives, consistently highlighting that the project is about community participation, not one-sided charity. Encouraging everyone to contribute, remain open-minded, and continue learning helps maintain a culture of mutual empowerment.
  7. What team-building exercises can build morale for Clean Team, Repair Team, Art & Graffiti Team, Pop-Up Pantry Team, Volunteer Appreciation Team, etc. ?
    • We have nothing solidified yet, but are always open to suggestions! We’re thinking team-building could include pop-up pantries, paint days, or cooking together. By following our Community Agreement—prioritizing safety, respect, honesty, and inclusivity—we can strengthen teamwork and ensure all volunteers feel valued while representing the fridge in the community.
  8. How do we plan to facilitate contributions from groups and individuals most often seen as being less able to give?
    • We want everyone to participate as much or as little as they’re able, because giving is an instinct in all of us and there are many ways to contribute to the fridge. We plan to communicate these opportunities clearly and frequently, ensuring that everyone knows how they can help in ways that work for them.

Late February Update 2026


As late February wraps up, we are excited to share an update on the revival of the Community Fridge in Kelowna.

Over the past few weeks, our organizing team – four Bachelor of Sustainability students (Thea, Jolina, Madi and Sydney)- have been working behind the scenes to rebuild the fridge in a way that is stronger, more sustainable, and community-rooted over the long term.

What We’ve Been Working On

On February 26th, we hosted our first public meeting at Rustic Reel Brewing Co. to reconnect with the community and receive feedback. Our goal was simple: How do we make this project last?

Some key themes from the discussion include:

  • Creating a strong and realistic volunteer schedule to avoid burnout
  • Establishing consistent Cleaning and restocking schedules
  • Finding a reliable, accessible location
  • Ensuring long-term financial sustainability
  • Maintaining a culture of trust and accessibility around food access

We also reflected on what made the previous fridge so meaningful – no proof of address required, no barriers, just mutual aid in action. That spirit remains at the heart of everything we are building.

Location and Accessibility

Accessibility was a major focus of the conversation. Suggestions included placing the fridge in high-traffic, visible areas, such as the downtown library – ultimately choosing a central space that is transit-accessible and welcoming.

We recognize that the highest need is downtown, and while our long-term dream is a fridge that is accessible to everyone, our immediate priority is finding one strong, stable home to relaunch successfully.

Volunteers and Community Engagement

Before we officially relaunch, we are focused on the foundation:

  • Developing a clear volunteer onboarding process
  • Identifying a possible easy-to-use coordination program
  • Establishing a communication rhythm (Newsletter, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc)
  • Creating realistic expectations to support long-term involvement

We are also exploring ideas like pop-up pantry events to build momentum and strengthen community relationships.

If you’re interested in helping shape the future of the fridge, we’d love to have you join our organizing conversations.

Expanding the Vision

Community members also expressed interest in expanding beyond food, including a separate pantry for period products and possible clothing storage, depending on logistics.

The fridge is more than just about food access – it’s about sharing resources, reducing waste, and strengthening mutual aid in Kelowna.

Risk Management and Sustainability

We are actively working on:

  • Setting up donation accounts/donation logistics
  • Clarifying liability considerations
  • Making clear food safety guidelines (no open/expired food)
  • planning strategies to address vandalism if it occurs

The previous fridge ran for two years, and we are learning from both its successes and hardships.

Looking Ahead

We are currently working towards a potential relaunch in September 2026. The next several months will be focused on strengthening infrastructure, partnerships, and community engagement and buy-ins.

The work won’t always be glamorous, buts its neccesary. We are deeply committed to building something that doesn’t just launch – but lasts.

Thankyou to everyone who attended our public meeting and shared ideas. Your input is shaping the next chapter of this project.

If you would like to stay updated, get involved, or share feedback, keep an eye on our website, Instagram page, and other socials.

The community is vital to rebuilding the fridge. Thank you.

*Public Meeting recording from February 26th can be accessed here, and on the Kelowna Community Fridge linktree.

Public Meeting February 26 2026

Kelowna Community Fridge Public Meeting

Please join us for our first public meeting as we work to revive the Kelowna Community Fridge! This will be a community-oriented conversation, where we want to learn directly from those who used, supported, and volunteered at the fridge in the past. And, anyone who is interested in shaping its future.

Date and Time: February 26th, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (optional interaction time before and after meeting).

Location: Rustic Reel Brewing Company –> 760 Vaughan Ave, Kelowna, BC V1Y 7E4

Hosted by: UBCO Sustainability students Thea, Jolina, Madi and Sydney.

Purpose of the Meeting

We acknowledge that rebuilding the Community Fridge must be shaped by the community. We are here to listen, learn and work together.

During this gathering, we hope to gather input on the following:
– What worked well with the previous fridge
– What challenges or barriers existed beforehand
– Food type suggestions and drop-off frequency
– Volunteer scheduling ideas
– Potential locations
– Possible host partners

Your lived experience and knowledge are essential to building a fridge that serves the community.

Who Should Attend

– Previous fridge users
– Past volunteers
– Community members who are experiencing or experienced and/or are concerned about food insecurity
– Local organizations and potential partners
– Anyone interested in supporting the Community Fridge

What to Expect

– Brief introductions and project overview
– Open and respectful discussions that are community-oriented
– Opportunities to share feedback and ideas
– Time to connect informally before and after the meeting

Accessibility and Values

We aim to create a safe, respectful, and honest space for all participants. We have an optional virtual attendance for the public meeting. This can be accessed through this link: Google Meet.

*Important Notice

(The Google meeting will only allow up to 100 participants. If you are unable to attend the Public Meeting in person or virtually, we will send a summary of the public meeting discussion and further details as required (Slideshow, Slido questions, etc)).

Questions:

Can be filled out in the Public Meeting Survey —-> https://forms.gle/6wdLRRKoD9AjmV3B8

Or, questions can be emailed to kelownacommunityfridge@gmail.com

And, questions can be asked in the Public Meeting, in person or through Slido —-> https://app.sli.do/event/mcYrcecpodZm79g5BAyoQd/live/polls

* Important Notice

(We are likely to prioritize reviewing the questions in the Slido and Public Meeting Survey responses, so if you have a question, please fill out the Slido and/or Public Meeting Survey if possible.)

Meeting April 24 2024

Community Fridge Minutes
Apr 24, 2024, 4-5:45, Naked Cafe

Present: Dale, Allisa, Carol, Terry, Joanne, Ollie
Notes by Terry, with a few edits from Ollie

  • Land acknowledgement and welcome by Dale
  • Dale reminded us about Ollie’s why are we a mutual aid group?
  • Previous meetings in reorganization: two in-person meetings, two online meetings
  • Possible locations:
    • Baptist church on Bernard and Richmond. Minister expressed interest in hosting Dec 2022. We could see if Erika will reach out to them. Perhaps a letter first, with follow-up phone call. We can look at their FB page. They have a great kitchen and a big parking lot.
    • Queensway? Perhaps not a good fit, e.g. parking.
    • Central United? They would like a proposal from us (Outreach Minister Keith). Proposal: info on mutual aid, our organization, our plans for the fridge.
    • We could explore the neighborhood and try and find other places; Carol suggests north of Clement.
  • Allisa: first we need to sort out roles, who will do what, etc. Revisit Ollie’s planning document. Keeley: volunteer for social media team. We need to make sure teams are robust to prevent people burning out.
  • Teams/Commitees: [essential to set up indicated with **]
    • Internal communication: organizing, facilitating, and recording meetings, volunteer welcome/onboarding** Terry
    • External Communication: social media, website, advertising, media outreach**: Erica, Keeley
    • Cleaning
    • Donations (food, money)
    • Finances** ($1400 $1500 at present). Joanne, others?
    • Event organization/social committee/community outreach (e.g. pop-ups, fridge birthday parties, cultural)**
  • We should try and find a time for regular meetings
  • Ollie: start with pop-up pantries? Good way to transition to fridge. Could be allied with Palestine protests, at Sails if their organizers like that idea, or held in a park as our own event. Allisa suggested could have PUPs at locations who might host a fridge, as an audition. Ollie to approach organizers for potential PUP May 11 as part of Palestine event.
  • if event May 11: we would need somebody to buy stuff; signage about fridge; how can we recruit/educate people at the event? E.g. link to volunteer form on website, QR code and plaintext. Information about mutual aid, goals of the fridge: handouts
  • Connecting with other community groups: Okanagan College community fridge group, SolSun
  • Future meetings: May 8 group meeting. Have an earlier meeting just to plan May 11 pop-up. Terry will do Doodle poll for May 8 or 9.

March 13th/14th Meetings

Ollie’s Notes going in:
Kelowna Community Fridge Reorganization meetings 2024

Wednesday March 13, 6-8pm Thursday March 14, 2-4pm
online at bit.ly/kcf-meet in person at Naked Café (571 Lawrence Ave)

Meeting Agenda:

Land Acknowledgement
Mutual Aid Review
Comm Fridge timeline
Finances
Organizing Organizers
Next Steps

Mutual Aid Review – found at this finely crafted link, or ollieo.art/kcf

Comm Fridge timeline [fleshed out at the Wednesday Meeting]

  • Organizing started in 2020 by a group of 6 or so, grew enough to do a physical location
  • was first hosted by the Kelowna Unitarian Church April 2021.
  • that location closed December 2022 because of accessibility renovations
  • Burke Hair Lounge hosted the fridge from February 2023 to end of September 2023. Continued hosting weekly markets until winter hit – seems to be a better structure for that space!
  • Some of the main challenges faced were scarcity mindset, lack of cleaning and garbage management, lack of maintenance response causing pain and demotivation, overall lack of adequate communication, coordination, and organization.
  • Some of the main successes were feeding hundreds, even thousands of people through both permanent and pop up outreach, creating more community connections by making space for people to come together. healing relationships with food and fellow humans, sharing the work! celebrating both giving and receiving – physical and emotional; all around, being part of interconnected community action
  • Space for everyone to share a few sentences about their experiences :]

Finances
~$1400 in the bank account (~$900 in OpenCollective, but that is what amount has gone through there – not additional funds). Several people still contributing monthly, and have had some one-off donations as well.

Organizing Organizers

Committee Structure
some ideas at: bit.ly/kcf-roles

what are the minimum requirements we have? What roles do we need?

  • Meeting organization
  • volunteer welcome/structure
  • Financial organization
  • event organization

Next Steps Next Meetings? Forming Committees? Community Cooking? Pop Ups? Permanent? Locations? Rotating them? communication and outreach – email, website update, social media

What roles do people want to take on? What tasks do people want to do?

Kelowna Community Fridge Meeting – March 14th at Naked Café 2-4 pm

Minutes by: Joanne & notes from Ollie (please let me (Joanne) know if I have missed anything or changes are required)

NEXT MEETING: tentative week of March 25-29th. Probably Tuesday 26th. To be Confirmed. Keely offered to Host, with Ollie assisting. (ed. note: Ended up being an open discussion meeting, as Keely was not able to host)

Attendees: Ollie, Joanne, Keely, Madi, Erica, Denise, Terry, Valentine

Land Acknowledgement: Ollie started the meeting at 2:15 with the Land Acknowledgement, that we live and organize on syilx land.

Mutual Aid Review: Everyone at the meeting had a good understanding of mutual aid framework. Additional document with more information was shared at the meeting.

Community Fridge Timeline – Ollie prepared a document with a timeline of the Kelowna Community Fridge. We talked about the fridge and gave everyone an understanding of where it started.

Finances – Ollie stated that we have around 1400.00 in our bank account, coming in thru Open Collective monthly and adhoc. A new recent donation of 250.00. Good to see. We use Open Collective, and we have a bank account. Currently Ollie holds the bank card. We will work toward a finance type committee with more individuals.

Organizing Organizers – a lively discussion with many ideas. Here is a summary.

We discussed the importance of coordination, communication, and organization. We all agreed that Communication is one of the most important contributors to success.

We discussed what was necessary as a bare minimum to get the fridge going again.

  1. Meeting Organizers – who will chair the meeting and take minutes? This is key and it would be great if we had a group that are willing to share Chairing the meeting and taking minutes.
  2. Communication and Outreach – another important group to help get us started and to be successful
  3. Volunteer organization/Welcome group
  4. Financial
  5. Media – Erica mentioned she would like to be part of this group – as well as Valentine assisting with Emails.
  6. Other groups would be Cleaning, donation seeking, and event organization.

We discussed a new fridge location. As part of this discussion, Ollie mentioned that we have had individuals come forward either offering a used fridge, to buy a new fridge, so that is not a limiting factor.

There are 3 location options on the table:

  1. Madi brought forward the potential for OKGN Lifestyle to host the Fridge. They are downtown on Cannery Lane next to Sprout Bakery. The staff has a vision board which includes a community fridge! They already engage in community culture with an open hangout policy for the shop, so welcoming people to the Fridge would be an easy extension of that. There’s disposal close by that garbage bags could be put directly in, which would make cleaning much more approachable! Given the general interest in this location at the meeting, Madi will be approaching the owners to see what next steps would be.
  2. The United Church on Bernard and Richter was in talks with the fridge back in October. Joanne reached out to Keith and he is still interested in talking and discussing the options with us.
  3. Ollie also heard from Erika about the Baptist Church on Bernard and Richmond whose minister expressed interest in hosting KCF in December 2022. Might be an option to pursue.

No decision was made at this meeting. We hope to have more information at the next meeting.

It was decided that we would continue to use WhatsApp as a communication platform until we can find a better solution as it was felt that WhatsApp doesn’t give us the flexibility we want. For now, we will use the following chats on WhatsApp. Some at the meeting have already joined a few of the groups.

KCF General Chat – if you haven’t joined this, please check with Ollie to get an invite.

KCF Media Team (this will also hold the Communication Team for now) – ask to join if you are interested. Be patient as Ollie is currently the only one that can approve, and they may not see it immediately.

KCF Cooking/Food Preparation Team

Keely talked about Discord as a possibility for communication and organization, and Valentine mentioned that meetings could also be done using Discord. Ollie also suggested Brightest. (Brightest.io). The solution should be easy to use, easy to organize documents etc, and maybe have a volunteer schedule that can be used as well. We also have a website that we can be reviewed.

Kelowna Community Fridge – A volunteer operated food security initiative organizing on unceded Syilx territory.

It was suggested that people could take a look at the 2 communication options and we can discuss and decide at the next meeting. Any other suggestions would be welcome as well.

Final Thoughts:

We will reconvene in a couple weeks – the idea is to start reaching out and forming commitees in the meantime, thinking and practicing how they might work, as well as reaching out to more people through social networks and such, so more people can take part and hopefully collaboratively set up a very stable framework for the Fridge.

Meeting between United Church and Kelowna Community Fridge

Meeting between United Church and Kelowna Community Fridge
October 10 2023 – 5-7pm

In attendance: Anna-Marie, Amira, Amina, Terry, Ollie, Minister Keith, Susanne (arrived at 6, miscommunication about time)

Opening poem and song from Keith [We Shall Overcome]

“A community fridge is…” prompt from Keith

  • a place to freely exchange food and build community (Ollie)
  • food sharing without feeling bad about it – people don’t like asking for help, but when it’s community it’s less intimidating (Amira)
  • a place without a charity model – no barriers. there’s difference and privilege and power, but this is a place to breakdown these barriers (Terry)
  • sharing abundance. People had too much in their garden, and this was a place they could share (Anna-Marie)
  • a place to take what you need, give what you can (Terry)
  • a place for everyone in the community – you’re not in a lesser situation than anyone else, we’re all just contributing to the same cause – help me help you (Amina)
  • a community fridge is a great idea. it can be a place of threat. it can be a place for waste and destruction. can be a lot of work. community fridge work falls work falls on a few. community fridge work can be exhausting. (Keith, sharing what other people have said to him – concerns from congregation members, and Lisa expressed a lot of frustration in a call)

Keith sharing about how their food sharing, there is methods of metering out/filtering
for the Fridge, could store ‘overflow’ inside and filter it out through the day to make food available more consistently

Ollie recognized need for reorganization within the Kelowna Community Fridge – particularly with cleaning shift coordination and financial coordinator as a bare minimum before setting up a new location (edit afterwards: as well as a maintenance coordinator)

Keith saying that congregation members have expressed it might be better to have the Fridge closed at night – unsure what time, but put up sign saying “there is not food here, come back at [time] in the morning”. Possibility for there to be shared responsibility between KCF volunteers and church members to close the Fridge at night.

waste disposal available, potential of cameras? would those help? they did not at Burke Hair Lounge

Amira thinks it’d be good to have posters explaining what the Fridge is, how to approach it

enclosure for winter heating? a small heater to keep the space warm enough that cans/jars can be safe temperatures

Ollie brings up possibility of just having pantry space, rather than a fridge, which can be difficult to maintain outdoors

Anna-Marie brings up concept of ‘free store’ model, extending the UC tuesday model (volunteers staffing it,’take ten items’ limitations)

Keith brings up intentional destruction of goods by businesses in scarcity based society – there is enough for people, but money is put up as a barrier

Anna-Marie brings up a lot of unhoused people do need presence and kindness, to be heard

Keith agrees from his time being an ambasedor to people on unemployment – people want to be heard, treated as full people

Terry sharing about 24/7 being part of the low barrier model.

Ollie shares about one of the ‘spiritual projects’ of the Fridge being trusting people that they may experience trustworthiness

Susanne sharing about that the two previous KCF locations have had damage to the fridge and shelves, as well as garbage pile ups – how do we prevent that from happening again? Keith and Ollie share some about the reorganization that’s ongoing – upkeeping the space helps reduce and prevent the mess

Anna-Marie wondering about if there is a sudden mess, like smashed jars – who would clean them up? Keith says he could sometimes, but a call list would be important for urgent messes

Terry returns to the low barrier topic – if the Fridge is only available certain times, that prevents access. Having things replenished would be helpful, though adds the difficulty of someone needing to do that

Keith sharing about people being in the building of the Duncan church, only twice did he have to call 911, and even then people took off and police didn’t actually come. here, 911 was called, primarily for ambulance, though police responded once because of an assault (unhoused neighbors being pepper sprayed)

Ollie emphasizes that issues with police is primarily people being treated as ‘thiefs’ – it’s not possible to steal from something freely given, and calling police on people taking from the fridge is antithetical to free sharing model

Anna-Marie sharing being against 24/7, because she doesn’t need access to her Fridge at 3am – Terry brings up that other people live differently, and might need to eat during the night. Ollie shares about some unhoused people being safer being out overnight.

Keith wonders if we can perhaps have a small access cooler for overnights, or experiment with varying hours and seeing how that goes

Terry wonders about the sense Keith and Susanne have of the congregations feelings about the Fridge – Keith shares there’s general support, but concern about the issues of cleanliness and interactions with unhoused community

Susanne shares about church members, particularly the elderly, needing to have sense of safety, and that is a concern from many people. There are events going on frequently, and someone say in their 80s walking with a cane might not be comfortable walking past unhoused people outside. Susanne has done outreach for 3 years, experiencing unhoused people knowing they can get food from the church any day of the week – doesn’t want to turn them down, but other members of the church want to see UC having other emphases outside of outreach. Susanne’s concern is that by introducing KCF, if there were problems or growing pains, that it would reflect negatively on the church.

Anna-Marie sharing about the UC entrance already being blocked sometimes, when Amira and Amina were attending classes – they felt they needed to get security in order to move those people.

Keith shares that people seek shelter and warmth where they can, and that happens regardless of food sharing programs. That is part of why they have Nick, security preseence, and a security company who loops the building several times the night. Feels this is just because of the location, not linked to food sharing. “Who’s the church for?” is a frequent question/discussion.

There will be larger conversations with the congregation – another next step is looking at what the cost of putting in the shelter would be, and what grants might be possible. Who would apply for that – UC or KCF? or collaborating on that?

One thing that Keith has heard that he doesn’t know how to respond to. “There’s enough food in the community, we don’t need to be doing this” – that people can go to Metro or access food elsewhere. He says that well, people are showing up for the food sharing, so clearly they need it. Ollie shares there are a lot of gaps, a lot of lack of access. As much as there are routes of help, there are many many people who are struggling to pay rent, childcare, health/medical bills – as much help as there is, there is a Lot more need created by barriers

Anna-Marie brings up the lack of community kitchen, cooking for the people who cook, and having the community connection involved in that as well. It was something she really looked forward to, and thinks stuff like that would be nice.

Keith looking for a clear proposal – hosting Pantry and Fridge, and that comes with (voulnteers, urgent care, storage inside, organizer keys to the building, access to dumpster keys).

Susanne has a question: where does the food come from? folks share – businesses like groocery stores, bakeries, restaurants, Lake Country Food Bank – as well as individuals stocking the Fridge/Pantry, whether it be a weekly pattern, or one off sharings. Anna-Marie has connected with Mamas for Mamas as well. In general getting food has not been a core issue, but rather the cleaning and volunteer organization.

Keith talking about building the sense of abundance – both from people receiving, and people giving. Opportunities to grow into the people we can be under abundance.

Proposal “if we have [volunteers, organizers], then [” to give time for UC congregation framework to work on

Change Update

Some big changes have happened this week or so. In short, the Kelowna Community Fridge 24/7 shed has been removed from Burke Hair Lounge, and we do not yet have a next host. The Market at Burke Hair Lounge, weekly on Wednesdays from roughly 12-3, are continuing as a branch of local food sharing with their own financial and planning teams – keep an eye out for their social media links for more details!

We have worked hard together to keep this food sharing going, and need to regroup so that everyone can give efforts that work well for them – together creating more sustainable ways to continue. Mutual aid should happen in ways that honor everyone involved, their abilities and the rest of their lives. There will be open discussion meetings Tuesday, October 3, 2023 from 5:30-8:30pm, and Wednesday, October 4, 2023 from 11am-2pm and 5:30-8:30pm – please email kelownacommunityfridge@gmail.com for the link to join!

Over the past several years, there has been a lot of amazing, even life changing action on a daily basis through the Community Fridge – but this collective has been lacking in distinct organization and coordination structures. This has been draining and stressful for people involved at all levels – from volunteers burning out from taking on tasks without enough team support, to hosts saddled with more cleaning and maintenance than is fair or reasonable, to organizers taking on too many roles to be sustainable, to the people who rely on the Fridge not being able to trust where or how this food sharing is continuing.

The decision to regroup was not made lightly, and we regret the current lack of a 24/7 food exchange place. Once we have reorganized and find a new home for the Fridge, we hope everything will run more smoothly and be even more help than before.

Thank you all for the many, many ways you have shared in community care through KCF. Hundreds and hundreds of people have shared how this exercise in abundance has changed their lives, and there has been a lot of difference made through everyone’s efforts in this organization. We appreciate all the donations we have received, and can’t thank you enough for all the ways you have been involved.

We do not have a 24/7 place to take donations at this time – we encourage you to reach out to your neighbors and other people around you to share in food and mutual aid on a daily basis. Well tended connections keep us safe – we hope to get a new Fridge/Pantry up where people can share in abundance again. You can also continue to give what you can and take what you need Wednesdays from 12-3 at Burke Hair Lounge‘s The Market!

-Ollie

General Meeting – Sept 3

Our next general meeting (intended to be monthly:crossed_fingers:) is *Sunday September 3rd* at Naked Café (571 Lawrence Avenue).

If you are able to, please bring prepared:

  • questions you may have about fridge operation, fundraising efforts and PuPs as we move into back to school season
  • a short summary or idea of what a role with the community fridge may look like for you, and where you would best benefit within the collective (are you able to do cleanings, provide transport, food prep, networking, social media etc)
  • a draft of what your availability looks like, within reason, to contribute your time to Fridge work

This is *not* a social, but is a Fridge General Meeting— so it is attendance recommended for all those who wish to be frequent volunteers! If you miss this meeting, a summary of the meeting will be provided within the following days.

KCF Meeting Mintues Aug 9 2023

Kelowna Community Fridge Meeting
 Wednesday August 9, 2023

Agenda:

  • Today’s Community BBQ/Pop Up Market
  • Volunteer Roles (7 groups – Cleaning, Maintenance, Communication, Seeking, Transport, Cooking, Urgent Response)
  • Communication within the collective
  • Replacing the fridge outside

In attendance: Grey, Ollie, Anna-Marie, Frasier, Corey, Erika, Lisa, Amira, Amina, Tony, Reid

Minutes:

syilx Land Acknowledgement by Ollie
Introductions and pronouns

Today’s Pop Up:

  • Lisa: The BBQ at the fridge today fed 80-100 people. “Very successful!”
  • BBQ with burgers, table of fresh fruit and veg, and table of canned/boxed foods
  • Collected prospective volunteer contact information during the event
  • Lisa wants to do a fridge bbq weekly, every wednesday
  • Donations came from Lisa, Naked Café, Okanagan Fruit Tree Project, Helen’s Acres, Vibrant Veggies, and many individuals!
  • Lisa says she wants to start calling businesses in town for donations, with the ultimate aim of having 52 businesses sponsoring once a year. It would be nice to have specific contacts at each donor, like Starbucks
  • Grey says each starbucks has its own contact.
  • Lisa suggests volunteer role for on-call pickup from businesses, including people to call businesses asking for donations; her friend Annika will likely start on that soon.
  • Ollie suggests making social media posts about costs of products (e.g. burgers – $40, if that’s the cost) so people can sponsor specific items
  • Lissa suggests pitting apricots tomorrow morning and freezing them so they don’t spoil.
  • There were 6 volunteers at today’s pop up.

Volunteer Roles:

  • Ollie suggests 6 teams, different volunteer roles
  • Communication
  • Seeking (looking for food/etc supplies)
  • Cleaning
  • Maintenance
  • Transport
  • Cooking
  • Ollie suggests having a What’sapp chat for each other these teams – there’s general consensus that’d be a good move
  • Lisa suggests having a general chat for coordinating/sharing when there are big drop offs, e.g. when there are lots of fresh greens
  • Ollie asks how people like whatapp compared to Slack – generally people are liking it, Grey and Lisa both note it’s helpful to have more engaged/responsive members in the chat
  • Lisa suggests adding more channels – Ollie says we can make a whatsapp group for each team, all together under the KCF whatsapp ‘community’
  • Lisa suggests having a chat to reach out when bulk drop offs need to be packaged, aka sandwiches or pastries all dropped off in one container, flats of fruit, etc
  • Grey says this falls under ‘cooking’
  • Erika asks about packaging bulk foods into smaller containers, like ziplock bags – if that counts as ‘sealed’
  • Lisa says that people were appreciative of foods being split up, like goldfish crackers in sandwich bags
  • The group is unsure if ziplocks is appropriate foodsafe or not, if there needs to be a single open seal; some concerns voiced about contamination.
  • Ollie clarifies that if someone gets sick from the fridge, volunteers are covered against legal action by the good samaritan act, though it is obviously important to make the food as safe as reasonably possible
  • Lisa says people who access the fridge really likes pre-portioned bags of bulk foods like rice + lentils
  • group decides on using ziplocks for packaging bulk foods, to be revisited if any issues arise
  • Ollie has a social media post in the works with the different volunteer teams

Communication within the collective

  • Ollie: we’re currently using slack and what’sapp. WA is more dynamic and on the go; Slack has different channels and more ability for people to respond to different conversations. There’s also a difference of immediacy: what’sapp is good for imemdiacy, while Slack is better for in-depth conversations where people can respond even a while after the posting. However, Slack does only give us a 3 month record, anything older goes behind significant paywall.
  • What’sapp shows people’s phone numbers, Slack does not
  • Erika suggests using email instead of what’sapp for new members/volunteers
  • Ollie brings up the e-newsletter, semidefunct but set up and with subscribers. Is another good channel for people for whom various apps are not approachable. Could do a monthly newsletter!
  • Grey wants to be involved with this!
  • Lisa mentions that last wednesday the fridge was majoyly damaged. News person was there filming before she had a chance to clean or anything – having an on call urgent situations group would be beneficial for situations like this
  • Grey suggests having specific peple on call for certain blocks throughout the week, who could come to the fridge if an emergency is happening.
  • Lisa says having this as an action plan would be beneficial to avoid poor responses from community members and businesses if something similar happens again.

Replacing the fridge in the shed

  • Ollie: we have 3 potential fridges, 2 offered from community members, another looking to buy us a more sturdy industrial fridge
  • Lisa: Cleaning has been much better past couple weeks
  • Lisa suggests having volunteers hang around the fridge more to keep things running smoothly, as discussed last meeting
  • Grey says this would be especially good on hot days
  • Ollie says having a volunteer on site would be good for the fridge’s culture
  • Lisa says there’s a much better chance of her being comfortable with a new fridge going outside if we had that kind of volunteer presence on site more often.
  • Anna-Marie expresses concerns about people touching food in the fridge without taking it.
  • Lisa suggests a volunteer shift in the 6-8pm range to move bulk foods inside for the night, and stock more ready to eat foods on the shelves/in the fridge
  • Lisa suggests shifts for portioning
  • Lisa + Anna-Marie both share that community is often asking for bags, bringing reusable ones is very helpful
  • Erika: it would be good to have emergency channel as well; Ollie to add that. Asks about locking the Fridge at night to avoid issues
  • Ollie: that would have to be a big collective discussion/decision, as the fridge has been 24/7 since the beginning, and that’s a big part of the community fridge model
  • Grey asks about doors on the pantry.
  • Lisa: likes the idea of it continuing as 24/7
  • Many group members agree this is a big benefit of the fridge
  • Ollie: long term, would be good to build a new shed that’s insulated, has doors – this is especially good for winter
  • Reid asks if there are the funds for a rebuild; Olli replies we would need to fundraise
  • Lisa: The fridge needs a way to keep up with garbage, because it’s a big issue. Brings up possibility of fundraising for the Fridge to have its own garbage.
  • Grey says they will add ‘contact companies about garbage’ to their list; Lisa to give contact info for waste disposal companies in town.
  • Lisa notes that tying an extra garbage bag to the bin is important to prevent messes, allows people to take that bag instead of the one currently in use
  • Lisa is fundraising for a fence to enclose her patio. Asks if other fridges fence at night.
  • Anna-Marie mentions Parkinson’s Rec Centre as a potential indoor location for pop-ups during the winter.
  • Erika brings up community Fridges in Vancouver and Montreal often face the street, which may help with community accountability; Lisa says that having the Fridge around the corner allows for people to have privacy while accessing
  • Lisa wants to play it by ear, but hopefully there will be enough Maintenance and Urgent Response team sign up to get a fridge in the shed after next wednesday, to be discussed at the social Aug 16
  • Lisa suggests reaching out about follow up stories from other news groups for better publicity, after the one that went out last week
  • Lisa: check garbage bags as part of volunteer check list
  • Erika has a group who could maybe sew reusable bags for the fridge. Says she will reach out to them.
  • Lisa expressed wanting to keep the salon’s bathrooms private
  • Lisa suggests asking natures fare and bulk barn for donations
  • Ollie closes the meeting, thanking all for coming, with a shout out to Solidarity Sundays, another local mutual aid group 🙂