Free community fridge comes to Dover, in effort to combat food insecurity

DOVER, DE-  Westside Family Healthcare in Dover unveiled a new free community fridge on Friday, that seeks to provide 24-hour food for those in need in the Dover area.

The launching of the fridge is the result of a year-long collaboration between Westside Family Healthcare,Planting to Feed, and Ubuntu Impact.

The groups worked on creating the infrastructure to keep the fridge stocked, bringing in partners from the Delaware Food Bank and local Dover butcher shop Hasss’ Family Butcher.

Westside Family Healthcare is a federally funded organization that helps to provide healthcare for disadvantaged areas, and the placement of the fridge was chosen to be at their location, as it is a high-traffic area for the population the groups were hoping to reach with the free, fresh produce and groceries.

Senator Carper speaking at the event, told the organizers it was a partnership he was proud to support from Washington.

“I think its important to go where the need is and that’s what we did,” said Planting to Feed Director Jessica Wescott.

Wescott tells 47ABC, while the fridge might be a new concept for Dover, she has launched multiple in Wilmington to great success and is thrilled to be able to expand their coverage and help to central delaware.

“It’s important that you don’t expect people to travel for help it has to be in those communities and it’s so rewarding to see this happen and to see the people we planned it with many we are seeing for the first time as we planned this all during the pandemic,” she said.

Westside Family Healthcare Director Lolita Lopez tells us, she hopes that as patients are already at the center, getting check-ups and diet recommendations, they can take advantage of the fridge.

“When they are inside if they are a patient they have nutritionists telling them how to eat healthy what to eat and they can come right out here and get the foods they need,” Lopez said.

“All of our partners working together and our partner’s work will make sure the fridge is full of fresh foods and vegetables frozen meals and it is a such great opportunity for Kent county to really have this access,” she said.

“This is not the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th, my goal is as we trickle into other communities, I want to get other states across the US,” Wescott.