Kelowna's Community Fridge is hosting a “spring cleaning” food drive Saturday

Photo: Jayden Wasney

The Kelowna Community Fridge is hosting a “spring cleaning” food drive Saturday until 2 p.m.

The fridge, launched this spring, provides food and other items to those in need in the community.

They will be accepting donations and handing out food and items like toiletries for those in need at their Cawston Avenue site, located at the Unitarians Church beside the Community Garden.

Items like sealed or canned dry goods will be accepted, while things like raw meat or seafood cannot be taken. Those who make a donation will be offered snacks and drinks provided by one of the volunteers.

The site for donations is open 24/7, and the donation guidelines can be found on their social media as well as on the shed door where donations are taken. Volunteers check on the space three times a day to ensure everything that goes in is safe, and is able to be used.

Lauren St. Clair, a volunteer with the Community Fridge, she says the initiative has been busy as of late.

“It's definitely had a lot of uptake," she said. "There's certainly a need for this that we are able to see, and there's been a huge fluctuation in terms of the fridge’s contents and in terms of people donating as well as using the fridge. We’ve seen a lot of food and hygiene items put into this space and a lot taken out, so it really ebbs and flows.”

St. Clair added the fridge has seen steady use since it kickstarted on March 24, which also highlights the need for food in the community.