I don’t know how many times I’ve told my children that they had to eat everything on their plate, that it won’t be me who throws food away, that it’s better to put just what you are going to eat on your plate, but I’ve also told them and others the great and simple idea of taking home the food “we can’t finish” after having lunch or dinner out, in bags or in tuppers. The thing is that some days ago I watched on TV a story related to these situations that also concerns me. I think that it needs, without any doubt, a special place on this blog. I’m talking about the Solidarity Fridge initiative.
According to their website:
“Solidarity Fridge’s goal isn’t any other than to fight against the waste of food by providing people food that, for others, means an excess”.
This project was born in Galdakao (Bizkaia, Spain) after many months of work by the “Asociación Humanitaria de Voluntarios de Galdakao GBGE Galdakaoko Boluntarioen Gizarte Elkartea” (Galdakao Humanitarian Volunteers Association), whose founder and president is Alvaro Saiz.
Nowadays, just in Spain, there are more than 20 solidarity fridges across 8 autonomous communities: Basque Country, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, Valencian Community, Aragon, Galicia, Madrid and Andalusia (click here to know where they are). The first Solidarity Fridge was installed in Galdakano on the 29th of April 2015, after negotiating between the GBGE and the city council of the town. Then not only did they meet the goals they set, but they were able to “save” from the trash approximately 200 kilos of food that, in other way, would have ended in a landfill. That’s how the Solidarity
Fridge network started.
Solidarity Fridge works in an easy way:
“People come to leave food in a good state (left-overs from already cooked food, uncooked food or whatever they think they are not going to eat for whatever reason) that was going to end up in the trash for others to use it”.
The fridges are “on the street or public places so no one feels self-conscious in the moment of approaching to them, either to take food or to leave it”.
But, watch out, installing a fridge on the street and maintaining it is not as easy as it sounds, but on the Solidarity Fridge website you can find all the help you need to do it.
Before finishing with this initiative, which for me is a clear example of social entrepreneurship, I’d like you to watch a video to realize what kind of E.P. is behind it:
If you want more information, don’t hesitate to get in touch with them, they are waiting for you, and so are the people who need your help.
- General information: Alvaro Saiz 635 75 05 81 neverasolidaria@gmail.com
- Treasury: Ainhoa Crespo 674 04 14 38 tesoreriagbge@gmail.com
- Secretary’s office: Koro Ibarra 618 83 51 54 secretariagbge@gmail.com
- Press: Alvaro Saiz 635 75 05 81 comunicaciongbge@gmail.com
Have you already thought about what are you going to do from now on with the food left-overs?
Happy week.
Translated by María Ubierna Quintanilla and supervised by Arantza Arruti.