Greetings from the Love Fridge team!
Back to the Future
As we enter 2025, we reflect on our growth and share key updates from The Love Fridge Network:
In 2024, we expanded our reach by adding two new community fridges to the network: the Austin—New Bethel Fridge and the Hermosa—Oasis Fridge. We also improved several locations to ensure our fridges and shelters were welcoming and functional. The updated locations include Love Shack, Breathing Room, Boxville, Pilsen, Getting Grown Collective, and Stone Temple.
Austin—The New Bethel Fridge site was thoughtfully developed with the community. It boasts bright lighting and includes a spacious pantry with acrylic panels, enhancing accessibility and functionality for all users.
The Stone Temple site has added a new shelter and refrigerator, improving community support and creating a more functional space to share resources.
Circle in Motion:
Strength in Unity
The Full Circle Program, which was initiated in 2020, continued to operate in 2024, focusing on collaboration and sustainability within its network. Our primary goal remains placing fridges in various locations, but the initiative also allows us to distribute meals throughout Chicago. We partner with chefs and local restaurants to stock these fridges with nutritious meals. El Comedor Comunitario has been a consistent contributor to the Full Circle Program. In collaboration with Atlan Arceo-Witzl, we have created labels for El Comedor Comunitario to indicate where meals are prepared each day.
We continue to work with El Comedor Comunitario, Chef Channel, and Roberto Pérez of Urban Pilón. Through this initiative, we emphasize food sovereignty and cultural resilience, strengthening the connections between communities and their food systems. We are grateful for the ongoing efforts of these individuals to nourish our community.
The Full Circle Program ensures that our fridges provide fresh produce, pantry staples, and prepared meals, thereby enhancing food access and nutrition.
In collaboration with Atlan Arceo-Witzl, we created labels for El Comedor Comunitario to ensure individuals know where their meals were freshly prepared that day.
Meals from Roberto Pérez of Urban Pilón
Network Updates: Community Fridge Check-In System
After 3 ½ years of dedicated service, the Marz fridge was sunsetted due to site changes and sustainability challenges. This decision, though difficult, reflects our ongoing effort to focus resources where they can have the most impact.
We are committed to rebuilding the Patchwork Fridge site in the spring, ensuring its continued role in serving the community.
This year, we enhanced our community fridge check-in system by integrating Airtable with dedicated Slack channels for each neighborhood fridge. This integration has streamlined communication and coordination across the network.
Volunteers and community members can submit real-time updates on fridge conditions, food availability, and site needs through Airtable. These updates sync to the relevant Slack channel, keeping neighborhood teams informed and responsive. This system enhances efficiency, collaboration, and clarity in the network's daily operations, helping us better serve the community.
You can access the community check-in through our Linktree:
Love Fridge Town Hall at Public Works
Thank you, Public Works, for hosting our Town Hall during the 'Be of Love' exhibition. In August 2024, we organized a town hall at the Public Works Gallery in collaboration with the Chicagoland Food Sovereignty Coalition, Keyante Aytch, and El Comedor Comunitario.
Lisa Armstrong created a detailed map with supporting information about the Love Fridge Network, which provided valuable insights for attendees.
This event emphasized our commitment to food justice and collective action as part of the "Be of Love" exhibition. It provided a platform for discussions on mutual aid, updates on The Love Fridge Network, and volunteering opportunities, including food rescue information and new community fridges.
Representatives from the Chicago Food Sovereignty Coalition discussed the positive impacts of mutual aid groups in Chicago. El Comedor Comunitario shared its support for Central American migrants, while Keyante Aytch discussed implementing solar power at Love Fridge locations.
The program concluded with a screening of “COMO SE HACE - HOW TO,” a film by No Shelter Media and El Comedor Comunitario focused on community resilience and mutual aid. This gathering was an important opportunity to inspire collective action and reinforce our goal of promoting food justice and self-sufficient communities.
Photos provided by Radius
Lisa Armstrong created an informative map that highlights the Love Fridge Network, providing attendees with valuable insights. The newspaper features a unique design, printed in a custom purple spot color, making it both eye-catching and engaging. We produced enough copies to distribute during town halls and activities throughout last year.
4th Anniversary Gathering at Love Shack
We celebrated our 4th anniversary at Love Shack in Little Village, reflecting on our journey and strengthening community connections. This event honored our progress since founding The Love Fridge and highlighted our growing network.
Lisa Armstrong printed "Our Fridge Guy" created by CHema Skandal! on garments, and Eric Hotchkiss served traditional Trinidadian doubles, while Radius offered refreshing watermelon-mint juice.
The gathering was a wonderful opportunity to connect with volunteers, partners, and community members who have supported our mission. Together, we shared stories and celebrated the collective efforts that have brought us to this milestone.
Thank you to everyone who made this event a meaningful celebration of food justice and community resilience.
Eric Hotchkiss served traditional doubles, a street food from Trinidad and Tobago with Indo-Trinidadian origins. Doubles consist of curried chickpeas served between two pieces of fried flatbread.
A New Chapter in Transparency:
Hack Club Bank
We transitioned from Open Collective to Hack Club Bank as our new fiscal sponsor in 2025.
This partnership allows us to maintain 100% transparency in our financial records, aligning with our commitment to accountability and trust within our community.
As a mutual aid network, all funds are allocated directly toward achieving our mission goals rather than salaries. This ensures that every dollar supports our fridge network, site improvements, and community-building initiatives.
Hack Club Bank's tools and resources allow for efficient donation management, tracking expenditures, and sharing updates with our supporters, reinforcing our dedication to collaboration and shared purpose.
Progress Report: Patchwork Farms and Love Shack
We are planning significant upgrades for the Patchwork Farms site as part of our commitment to enhancing the Love Fridge Network. These updates will include installing a larger standard fridge to accommodate the increased use by the community, expanding the pantry to provide additional storage for non-perishable items, and upgrading the solar system to ensure reliability and sustainability at the site.
While we are excited about these improvements, progress on integrating solar power at the Love Shack (our flagship site) has been temporarily suspended. Bureaucratic challenges have slowed this project, and we focus on resolving these issues before moving forward.
We appreciate collaborating within our community and learning from one another. Mutual aid work's dynamic nature offers valuable opportunities for personal growth, support, and opportunities to exchange skills. These efforts highlight our commitment to building resilient, efficient, and accessible community spaces as we work together to overcome logistical challenges.
Breaking Down the Breakdown: Lessons from Fridge Failures
Enhanced Sustainability
We have standardized the fridge models to make our network more sustainable over time. If a unit breaks down, we can repurpose parts. Parts like doors can be applied to new fridges. This trial has addressed key challenges and ways to strengthen the network. Standardizing the refrigerator models across high-traffic sites has been a game-changer for The Love Fridge Network. This approach has simplified site builds streamlined repairs, and opened new possibilities for artistic collaboration.
Opportunities for Artists
We offer artists the chance to create artwork for fridges during the winter months, all from the comfort of their studios. This opportunity allows them to paint and design panels for future site installations, ensuring creativity and community engagement thrive even during the frozen months here in Chicago.
Find a fridge
Check out our map to find a fridge in your local community!
Click the ♥ on the map for more info on each fridge.
Stay tuned for our upcoming newsletters, where we’ll dive deeper into these exciting initiatives. Together, let’s continue making an impact by spreading kindness, generosity, and most importantly, love.
