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Seven fridges · Detroit and Hamtramck

Free food, cold, on your corner.

Open day and night. No ID, no sign-up, nobody watching. Take what you need and leave what you can.

  1. Grand River Suds

    24 hours · inside the laundromat after 10 PM

    18950 Grand River Ave

    Directions to Grand River Suds

  2. Brightmoor Farmway

    24 hours · garden produce June to October

    Fenkell Ave at Lahser Rd

    Directions to Brightmoor Farmway

  3. La Palomita Bakery

    24 hours · fresh bread Mon and Thu nights

    4410 W Vernor Hwy

    Directions to La Palomita Bakery

  4. Third Street bus shelter

    24 hours · hot meals Tuesdays 6 PM

    Third St at W Alexandrine

    Directions to Third Street bus shelter

  5. St. Columba side door

    24 hours · step-free

    Oakland Ave at Holbrook St

    Directions to St. Columba side door

  6. Shapla Market

    24 hours · halal items labeled

    11820 Joseph Campau Ave, Hamtramck

    Directions to Shapla Market

  7. Kercheval mural fridge

    24 hours · baby shelf

    Kercheval Ave at Field St

    Directions to Kercheval mural fridge
How the fridges work

How it works

Three rules, written on every door

That's it. There is no fourth rule.

Text (555) 014-5520

  1. Step 1: Take what you need

    Any time, as much as you need for today. No ID, no address, no reason. Nobody keeps count.

  2. Step 2: Leave what you can

    Sealed groceries, produce, or home-cooked food with a label and today's date. See the full list before you stock.

    What can go in

  3. Step 3: Text if something's wrong

    Broken door, warm fridge, spoiled food? Text the number on the door. A volunteer comes within a few hours.

Left on the doors

Notes people stick to the fridges

Thank you for the baby food. You don't know what tonight would have been.
Note on the Kercheval fridgeMarch
Took two eggs and some rice. Will bring tamales Friday.
Note on the Vernor fridgeEvery week, same handwriting
The greens are from my yard. Wash them, they're good.
Note on the Brightmoor fridgeAugust
Somebody left a birthday cake with candles. My son thinks the fridge knew.
Note on the Third Street fridgeJanuary
Night shift nurse. This fridge is my dinner twice a week. Thank you whoever you are.
Note on the Grand River fridgeOctober
Please more halal meat if anyone can. Jazak Allah khair.
Note on the Joseph Campau fridgeRamadan
Volunteer smiling while stocking a community fridge with greens

Kercheval, 7:40 AM

Toya restocks the greens before the school-bus rush. The thermometer read 37°F.

Twice a day

Someone checks every fridge, morning and night

Forty-one volunteers take turns wiping shelves, checking the thermometer and pulling anything past its date. It takes about twenty minutes a visit.

The businesses that host the fridges pay the electricity, about $14 a month each. We cover repairs, cleaning supplies and the occasional new compressor.

  • Every fridge holds 40°F or colder, logged on the door
  • Home-cooked food leaves after three days
  • Clean shelves every morning before 9
  • A text line answered 8 AM to 10 PM
Take a fridge-check shift Host a fridge

When fresh food lands

Regular drops, by day

These arrive like clockwork. Everything else is whatever neighbors bring.

MondayToday

  • 9:00 PM

    Day-old bread from La Palomita

    All seven fridges

    Bread

Fridge news

What's new on the corners

All updates
Got extra? There's a fridge closer than you think.

Sealed groceries any time. Cooked food with a label and today's date.