LI's first community fridge in Brentwood now open 24/7
Community fridge organizer Amanda Sweeney, left, volunteers and Salvadoran Consul Henry Salgado, right, stock the fridge in Brentwood on Jan. 15. Credit: Johnny Milano
Long Island’s first community fridge at the Salvadoran Consulate in Brentwood has expanded its hours of operation, organizers said.
The fridge is now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Previously, it operated for two hours each Saturday.
After seeing the success of a second fridge at a Brentwood church, which is open around the clock, hours for the fridge at the consulate were extended, organizer Amanda Sweeney said. Organizers will still stock the fridge Saturday mornings when many of the estimated 100 recipients visit, Sweeney said. The community can donate or receive food anytime.
Community fridges, which sprung up across the nation during the pandemic, give people access to fresh food for free and operate on a model of support in which communities work together to help each other. The fridge at the consulate, which opened in October 2021, is celebrating its first anniversary on May 7, when organizers began offering fresh food from a stand.
Sweeney and other organizers opened the second fridge in March at Christ Episcopal Church. The fridge has an accompanying food pantry for dry goods.
“This is something that every community should have,” said District 1 Councilman Jorge Guadrón, whose district includes Brentwood. “It is comforting and good that there is someone who is willing and able to help the community in these types of emergencies.”
After the second fridge opened, Sweeney was approached by Long Island attorney Alex Clavering, who posted a video about the fridge on his TikTok account, which has nearly 750,000 followers. Within 10 minutes of Clavering's post, Sweeney said the fridge received $300 worth of donations. A week later, donations exploded to $5,000 and are still trickling in, she said.
“The power of organizing or the power of social media, or just on a small local level — we are empowering people with something as simple as food that we take for granted,” she said, adding that organizers hope to open a third community fridge on Long Island later this year.
The community fridges are located at the Salvadoran Consulate at 151 Alkier St. and Christ Episcopal Church at 155 Third Ave.
Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.
Rain, snow, sleet for morning commute ... Sentencing in body parts case ... Thomas Valva's mother agrees to settlement ... When Springsteen brought 'Santa' to LI
Rain, snow, sleet for morning commute ... Sentencing in body parts case ... Thomas Valva's mother agrees to settlement ... When Springsteen brought 'Santa' to LI
