Greater Binghamton’s first community fridge feeds the community and reduces waste

VESTAL, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – There’s a new place in town where hungry people can get free refrigerated and frozen food any time of day.

The non-profit Good Neighbors New York is launching our area’s first community fridge at Memorial Park Baptist Church in Vestal.

Good Neighbors started in Florida in 2020, and Director Krista Bunzey of Vestal founded the New York chapter three years ago. The volunteer organization does food recovery by picking up unsold, surplus food from grocery stores and restaurants. It then distributes the food to community pantries, senior housing complexes and other non-profits.

Bunzey says Good Neighbors delivers 40,000 pounds of free food to hungry people each month.

“Our partnerships with pantries and other places that receive our food has dramatically grown to about 50 partnerships with different pantries, organizations that do receive our food as well,” said Bunzey.

Good Neighbors has been using Memorial Park Baptist Church as its headquarters and storage facility for sometime.

Together, they host a monthly food giveaway where participants shop their food aisles like a grocery store.

Reverend Steve Reynolds is a retired pastor and member of the church. He says feeding those in need is a perfect expression of God’s love.

“Meeting people and getting to know them a little bit and sometimes even praying for them. They often will come in with some needs and so forth and we have a chance just to talk to them,” said Reynolds.

Good Neighbors already has five community pantry kiosks with non-perishable foods available in Broome County, sort of like the Little Free Libraries.

But they wanted to offer refrigerated and frozen items as well. So, someone donated the refrigerator, and the church is paying for the electricity.

Bunzey says anyone is welcome to take what they need, no questions asked, 24/7. Others are encouraged to donate their unneeded food.

The group is officially launching the Community Fridge with an event tomorrow morning at 9.

For more information, to donate or to volunteer, go to GoodNeighborsNY.org .

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