GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The Greater Green Bay YMCA and the Joannes Park Neighborhood Association held a ribbon-cutting Tuesday to celebrate the launch of The Fridge at the Ferguson Family YMCA.
The program relies on community members dropping off fresh food, which is then available for anyone to take. Organizers created the initiative to cut down on food waste and provide barrier-free access to meals. People can use the fridge at any time without answering questions or facing limits on what they can take.
"It's a labor of love this has been, a while in the making, and so we're really excited to have this location and just continue to grow what we've been doing, and provide a resource for more families to use," Kelsey Lutzow said.
Lutzow is the co-founder of The Fridge.
The Joannes Park Neighborhood Association restarted in the fall of 2021 and wanted a project to help build the community. Because the area is a food desert, the association decided to launch the fridge program.
This is the third fridge installed in Brown County. The first was installed in Joannes Park, and the second is at the Samaritan Heart Mission Church. A fourth fridge is planned for June at another location on the west side of Green Bay.
One-third of Brown County is considered ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited and Income Constrained but Employed. About 11% of Brown County residents are food insecure, according to Alyssa Proffitt, another co-founder of The Fridge.
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