The community fridge has been placed at the back gate of ATS Village, opposite Gejha market
With an effort to bridge the gap between food wastage and hungry people, a community fridge has been set up at ATS Village, Sector 93A as a collective initiative of residents of the society and a few others. Called the 'Magic Fridge,' it is the first surplus food dispersing service which provides food to those who cannot afford two square meals, utilising what is more often than not thrown in the bins.
An initiative of Gautam Jindal, a private professional and a resident of another society in Sector 108, the fridge has been placed at the back gate of ATS Village, opposite Gejha market. It was started only three days ago with help from ATS residents who have come together to promote the cause.
Talking about the project, Jindal said that he was inspired by a similar programme going on in Gurugram. "I read about it on Facebook and then got in touch with the person who started it there. He was more than happy to help me. I followed his instructions because he already has some experience in doing this and hence Magic Fridge came into existence," he said.
The fridge, he informed, was donated by a friend who runs a hotel, though he had started crowd funding for the same. "My friend volunteered a lot of his time and money before we could gather funds, which helped us a lot."
"A lot of food goes to waste in our homes these days. Either it is given to maids or thrown away in dustbins. With this idea, we are looking at primarily feeding those who don't have any money to buy food," adds Jindal.
To ensure quality of food to end beneficiaries, the Magic Fridge comes with host of instructions pasted on the wall of the container. Residents who want to feed people, are asked to neatly pack the products in reusable aluminum foil or recyclable plastic containers, neatly naming the dish as well as the date when it was cooked. They are also instructed to make small packages for large amounts instead of one big one so that more people can benefit from it.
Residents are also discouraged from keeping easily perishable food in the fridge like milk, cheese and canned products, if not sealed. Any dish that has not been consumed within 12 hours is thrown away. "I have personally requested the contributors to ensure that food that is edible, one that they eat at home, should find way to the fridge. The hungry too have dignity and we cannot give them stale and rotten food just because they can't afford," stated Jindal, who works with a private firm in Noida.
A group of volunteers at ATS look after the fridge, ensuring regular supply of food from residents in the vicinity. Jindal himself visits the Magic Fridge twice a day, once in the morning and then at night. Next in pipeline is to visit slums in nearby areas this weekend to create awareness of this new facility that is available in the area.
"We started with autowallahs, rickshaw pullers and other traders who squat by the footpath to utilise Magic Fridge. We have also asked them to spread the word amongst their friends and place of residence. More and more people should benefit from it," said Jindal.
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