Community fridge offers free food for Auckland hungry

Amanda Chapman and the new Community Fridge which will offer free food for anyone in need in central Auckland. The fridge opens today. Photo / Supplied

A community fridge has popped up in central Auckland offering free food to those in need.

The fridge opens today and operates 24 hours a day, available for anyone who is hungry.

It's the brainchild of zero waste blogger Amanda Chapman and a group of community waste champions and aims to not only feed the hungry but reduce food waste by sharing excess food with people who need it.

Businesses and individuals can leave excess food in the fridge, which is in the new Griffith Gardens, for anyone to take.

"I first became aware of the food waste issue 10 years ago when I was throwing out some rubbish in the skips at the supermarket I worked at," said Chapman.

"The bin was full of packaged bread and cakes made the day before. It was shocking. There was so much perfectly edible food going to waste, yet so many people are hungry.

"I first heard about solidarity fridges through a friend who had used them in Germany. I thought it would be a great concept to trial in New Zealand but had no idea how to start one up. When I saw the Auckland Council was making funding available for groups to raise awareness of the issue of food waste, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

The new Community Fridge. Photo / Supplied

The rules of the fridge are simple - take what you need and leave what you don't.

Individuals can share their excess garden produce, tinned or dried goods. Commercial bakeries and cafes are being encouraged to donate any unsold bread, sandwiches and baked items, which would normally be thrown away.

"Sometimes when you only have only a small amount to donate it may not feel like it's worth it, especially if you are quite far away from a food bank," said Simon Tuxford of Pukeko Bakery.

"But even just an extra sandwich or a couple of bread rolls make a difference to someone's day and help reduce the amount of food which goes to waste. This will allow us to pass on edible food we couldn't sell."

The fridge will be open 24 hours a day to allow people to access food at any time. There are no conditions around taking the food, anybody can help themselves. A group of volunteers will be checking the fridge twice a day to make sure that all food is safe to eat.

The fridge is in the Griffiths Community Garden on the corner of Mayoral Drive and Wellesley St West and has been paid for through the council's Love Food Hate Waste Fund.

The fridge itself was salvaged from Auckland Council's inorganic collections and repaired by Resource Rescue.