Foodshare Kerry Launches First Community Fridge In Tralee

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Launching Foodshare Kerry’s Community Fridge at St Brigid’s Family Resource Centre in Hawley Park were Courtney Sheehy (Foodshare Kerry), Maureen O’Sullivan (St Brigid’s Family Resource Centre), Rose O’Reilly (Foodshare Kerry) and Brian McCannon (Foodshare Kerry). Photo by Dermot Crean

FOODSHARE Kerry launched the county’s first ever ‘Community Fridge’, with the support of St Brigids Family Resource Centre and Kerry County Council’s Community Enhancement Fund, in a growing effort to tackle food waste.

The fridge, located at St Brigids Family Resource Centre, Hawley Park, will be open Monday to Friday to enable residents and businesses to share surplus food and for anyone to help themselves to quality food that would otherwise be wasted.

Foodshare Kerry is calling all local food businesses in Tralee and surrounding areas to donate surplus food at the fridge.

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Courtney Sheehy, Foodshare manager said: “Food waste is a big economic and environmental problem in Ireland. The average household throws away an estimated €700 worth of food every year, while at the same time 1 in 6 people are living below the poverty line. Most food waste in Ireland is avoidable and could have been eaten had it been better managed.”

The fridge will be open Monday to Friday from 9 am – 5.00 pm. The fridge is one of a growing number opening up across the UK and Ireland, the first ever in Munster. The concept first arrived in the UK in 2016 with Community Fridges opening up in Swadlincote, Frome and London. Now over 50 projects are running across the country.

Maureen O’ Sullivan, St Brigids manager said:  “We are delighted to pilot this new initiative. It is a great opportunity for families to respond to two very important issues – food waste and food poverty. By donating or using food from the community fridge less food is going into land fill.  If it can also save a family some money then it’s a win win!”

To find out more about the Foodshare Kerry Fridge, donate food or volunteer contact: Courtney Sheehy Tel: 0858813001 or email manager@fsk.ie

Foodshare Kerry, an initiative of North, East and West Kerry Development and Saint Vincent de Paul, is a not-for-profit organisation set up to combat both food waste and food poverty throughout Kerry. We rescue quality surplus food from supermarkets and food producers, and along with FEAD (food from the European Unions Fund from the Most Deprived), make it available to organisations who know how best to redistribute it to those in need.