Weber Fridge: A Community-Powered Food Share
Photos from past Weber Fridge free lunch events, every second Saturday of the month. Provided by volunteer Paige Berhow
Ogden is a place of community, and every day I find something new that reinforces that. This time, it’s the Weber Fridge, a mutual aid organization focused on feeding those within our community, no questions asked. It was founded by local concerned citizens who recognized a need and wanted to find a way to feed those in need quickly and without many hoops to jump through.
Part of the way they achieved this is through being a mutual aid organization and not a nonprofit. A mutual aid organization is a group of individuals within the community focused on assisting those in their local community and receiving help as well. There is no top-down hierarchy and no barriers to entry. It is not about charity but reciprocal sharing of resources so that the whole community can be stronger.
What this looks like in the case of the Weber Fridge is that there are no barriers. If you are hungry you can show up and get food. There is no proof of income or need, no paperwork, no hours of operation. You show up and take what you want. The inverse is also true: You can drop off what you can spare whenever you would like. It is fully community-stocked and run with no overarching organization or leadership. Often, those who start by taking food also donate when they can, and vice versa.
It started out as a small project with one fridge and a Coleman cooler for dry goods three years ago. They are currently at a location hosted by Anne Dunway of Urban Prairie Agriculture on 28th St., where they’ve built a pantry with hopes to expand into North and South Ogden. While fridges are surprisingly easy to find, and there is a solid volunteer base built up, locations that will host them are not easy to come by.
This project would not be possible without community involvement, and while they have no official sponsors, they have focused on creating and maintaining organic community relationships. Some of these include students at Weber State University, Kevin Lundell of Ogden City Council, and Lavender Vinyl, as well as many other community volunteers. They’ve also partnered with the 501(c)(3) Hack Club in order to receive financial donations. This can be located on their link tree in their Instagram bio.
Weber Fridge also hosts monthly lunches on the second Saturday of every month. All are welcome either to eat or volunteer. Some months it’s a bag lunch, and others it’s hot soup. They provided a full Thanksgiving meal this past December. Part of the goal is to provide another opportunity to feed people, but the other goal is to engage more with the community and bring people together.
If you would like to get involved, there are many ways to help. You can bring food in person, donate financially or assist with the lunch, as mentioned above. You can also run a food drive through your business, school, church or any other group you are affiliated with, or you could help by cleaning the fridge and pantry. Or, if you have another talent to offer, reach out through their Instagram page.
The pantry is hand-built by volunteers, local people in our community with time and a desire to help. You can also spread the word.
A few things to remember when talking to your friends about this: If you provide homemade food, please put a date on it and list all ingredients. Do not donate expired or opened food. Please, no alcoholic beverages. Possibly most importantly, there is no barrier to who can receive food. If you are hungry, you are welcome, and it is open 24/7.
