Community Fridges

CGFH established a community fridge at Te Mātāwai, the Kāinga Ora building at 139 Greys Avenue in Auckland city centre on 11 October 2023. The fridge is located in the downstairs corridor at 139 Greys Ave, next to a pātaka kai, created by ACES students under the direction of Ger Tew of the Re-Creators. 

The fridge was funded by the Waitematā Local Board. CGFH operates a roster of volunteers who regularly check and clean the fridge and the pātaka.

Community fridges and pātaka enable communities to easily share food with people who need it. Individuals and businesses can drop food off at any time for the fridge and pātaka at Te Mātāwai by signing in at the lobby. There is a loading zone out the front.

CGFH was a strong supporter of the first community fridge in Griffiths Gardens in Wellesley St West, which ran from 30 November 2016 to 9 October 2019 until the City Rail Link project took over the area. CGFH volunteers maintained this fridge and collected food for it daily from the New World Metro supermarket. Auckland Council provided food from its staff cafe, with a team of Council volunteers carrying the cafe's leftovers to the fridge, Mon-Fri.

In April 2024, we received funding from the Awhero Nui Trust which we used to buy a fridge for The Front Door Project, a hub for homeless youth at 307 K' Rd. The fridge can be seen in this photo of the launch of the project on 13 May, and below, on 12 August, full of food donated by Woolworths.