Eradication of hunger is one of the primary development goals of our times. Almost one billion people go hungry every day around the world. Hunger is not just vital to overall health and well-being, in fact, a large number of diseases can be kept at bay with healthy and nutritious food. The Secretary-General spoke at the Rio Summit in 2012 United Nations, saying, “In a world of plenty, no-one – not a single person – should go hungry.” New York residents and community activists have taken this mission and made it into their motto with a unique initiative.

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The Friendly Fridge is a collective initiative by New York citizens who aim to feed the hungry with their interesting idea. They have installed community fridges, aka ‘friendly fridges’ at various junctions in New York. As per various reports, the volunteers are responsible for cleaning the fridges and ensuring that they are well-stocked at all times. To make them look enticing, they have got local artists on board to give the fridges a colourful makeover.

“This fridge belongs to you, and so does what’s inside. Take food, leave food and be safe,” reads one of the posts on the Friendly Fridge Bronx’s Instagram handle. This one-of-a-kind initiative is coming in useful during the times of the Coronavirus pandemic when lakhs of people are stranded in expensive cities without work or any other means to earn money.

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The initiative is garnering praise on social media as well as from New York citizens. While some people have chosen to donate funds to the cause virtually, others are getting their hands dirty by helping with on-ground operations. We hope to see more such community-led hunger combating campaigns with the common aim that Friendly Fridge has – “No one should go hungry.”