A neighborhood fridge, open to everyone.

The COVUnity Fridge, short for the Covington Community Fridge, launched in 2021 in partnership with Redden Gardens, which gave it a home on Doc John Redden Way. It was the first free community fridge in Northern Kentucky. Brian built the original structure from the ground up after researching projects like Freedge. Jamie later helped make the original structure even better with upgrades and improvements over time.

It's more than a fridge. Under one roof there's refrigerated and frozen space, shelf-stable pantry goods, a microwave, drinkable hot and cold water with a bottle-refilling station, and hygiene supplies. Missy was fundamental in the early fundraising, and the community's support has continued to this day. Our second fridge and its shelter formerly lived in Camp Washington in Cincinnati, and we are honored to be able to give that work a new home here. You can read more about that original project here. That ongoing giving and responsiveness is what has kept the fridge functioning.

Day to day, it runs on trust and small acts: a neighbor grabs dinner on a hard week, a restaurant drops off labeled meals, someone wipes down the shelves on their walk home. People really do want to help each other, but they do not always know how. This gives them an easy way to help, whether once or on a recurring basis. It should also be seen as a resource people can use even if they are not in the most dire straits, because hunger is hunger.