Community Fridge KW

Home
Canada
Kitchener, ON
Community Fridge KW

Open 24/7 & accessible to anyone, Community Fridge KW is a public repository of food & essentials.

05/15/2026

Hey tri-cities! The birds are chirping, the crops are growing, and spring is springing! What better time for a little refresher on community fridge donation guidelines? With the season’s bounty upon us, we thought folks might find it useful to revisit some of our donation best practices so that we can all support our neighbours safely and with care.

Swipe to check out our guidelines for making donations to Community Fridge KW, including items we will gladly accept and those that we cannot. There is also a list of high-demand staple items that community members have noted as especially helpful.

Your community fridge is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year… So, anytime is donation-time! Thank you for your commitment to mutual aid and to your neighbours— and so much gratitude for the way you continue to show up, care, and share.

04/19/2026

Did you know “best before” and “expiry” dates are NOT the same thing? We recognize how much food waste is produced as a result of widespread misunderstandings around best before dates. We’re here to blow the case wide open.

21.18 million metric tonnes of food is wasted each year in Canada, 8.83 million of which could be rescued and redistributed to support communities.

This does not mean that CFKW accepts non-perishables that have been sitting in household pantries for ages— it simply means there is a little more opportunity for food approaching its best before date to find use through your community fridge!

Looking for other ways to help? Check out the link below to join our volunteers and help combat food waste in the tri-cities.

https://forms.gle/iZJo4K17UsxS3NNg8

Sources:
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (2026). Best before, expiration and more: Understanding the date labels on your food.
Second Harvest (2024). The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste Roadmap: Update.

03/20/2026

Calling on YOU to practice 15 minutes of community care!

CFKW volunteers take care of all sorts of tasks from doing three daily check-in’s on the fridge to delivering food from the fridge to those who cannot travel to it and more!

Got questions? We’re here to help you help your community!

Sign up using the link below.

https://forms.gle/iZJo4K17UsxS3NNg8

Stay tuned to find out more about what’s coming up for CFKW!

12/24/2023

As those of us who are able to do so, slow down for the holiday season, we want to remind everyone that community care & the community fridge will not be.
🤎
The holiday season isn’t always a joyful time for many in our community. Whether it be because of accelerated adversity or the lack of accessible and open supports, times can be tough. We want our neighbours to know they are cared for this season and all seasons. So let’s keep showing up and participating in direct decentralized action.
🤎
Keep spreading the word. Encourage those you meet who may have any kind of material need, to access the fridge! Food insecurity to us is not defined by an amount of time, rather just the experience of hunger. Give without judgement and take without hesitation.
🤎
Happy holidays neighbours.

11/10/2023

On the last episode of CFKW:
🌱
A few weeks ago we got to collaborate with Wiijindamaan Indigenous Land Futurity, Aaandaajige Cafe of White Owl Native Ancestry, The Food System Round Table as well as Conestoga College and IMAP to present an exciting free public learning opportunity as part of our Community-Driven Urban Agriculture efforts. Amaranth is highly nutritious grain plant that Indigenous communities here and across Central & South America have grown & cultivated for over 8,000 years. Ronaldo Lec and Maria Ines Cuj from the Mesoamerican Institute of Permaculture in Guatemala visited Kitchener and we got to hold space for them to share ancestral knowledge on amaranth including a processing and cooking demonstration. We popped that amaranth! Aanaajige Cafe's Chef Sydney Keedwell offered a delicious dessert with amaranth!
🤎
Thanks to our friends and hosts at the Kitchener Market for the space and continued support for our mutual aid efforts.

10/13/2023

We’re thrilled to partner with Wiijindamaan Indigenous Land Futurity, Aaandaajige Cafe of White Owl Native Ancestry, The Food System Round Table as well as Conestoga College and IMAP to present this exciting free public learning opportunity as part of our Community-Driven Urban Agriculture efforts. Amaranth is highly nutritious grain plant that Indigenous communities here and across Central & South America have grown & cultivated for over 8,000 years.
🌱
Ronaldo Lec and Maria Ines Cuj from the Mesoamerican Institute of Permaculture will be in town! Join us as Rony and Maria share ancestral knowledge on Amaranth including a processing and cooking demonstration. A dessert made with Amaranth will be prepared and served by Aanaajige Cafe's Chef Sydney Keedwell!
🤎
Claim your free ticket! See you on the upper level of the Kitchener Market in the kitchen + programming room near the bathrooms.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/amaranth-workshop-and-talk-tickets-734009822137?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

09/17/2023

Fall may be in the air but your public-access food plants are still thriving, Kitchener!
🌱
We’ve seen lots of use of the lettuce, Swiss chard and tomatoes directly from the planters. Volunteers that tend to these plants also harvest where needed and place our collectively grown food in your community fridge. This is your food, this is my food, this is our food!
🍅
In the next few weeks, we’ll be preparing to wind down the planters and close the growing season with a celebration of community care. Stay tuned!
🤎

09/01/2023

WE’RE CELEBRATING 3 YEARS OF BUILDING COMMUNITY CARE
🎉
Around this time in 2020, a couple of young folks reached out to individuals, businesses and organizations with a vision for a mutual aid and restorative approach to addressing local food insecurity & food waste in Kitchener-Waterloo. With no formal organizational status, very little money in our pockets but a whole lot of drive and determination, we called on community to join the efforts and boy did you answer! Cheers to fostering decentralized practices, inviting community and its abundant gifts and planting radical seeds of care. Cheers to you, cheers to us. 🤎

08/23/2023

THE FUTURE IS YOUTH
🤎
Recently, we got to collaborate with Kind Minds Family Wellness and their Black Youth Impact Summer program for a day out on the town witnessing mutual aid + community care efforts. Organizer Kamil got to host a circle conversation around our work followed by a tour of your Community Fridge and Community-Powered Urban Agriculture public-access food planters. We love holding space for joy + purpose alongside young folks in our community.

08/12/2023

While we as a volunteer community strive to do daily check-in’s at your Community Fridge and clean/remove/repair as things come up; it’s been a while since the fridge, its shelter, pantry & surrounding areas received a deep loving. So, we’re hosting a communal deep clean day TOMORROW and you’re invited!
✨
Come out and lend your time, energy, materials & support with a collective care practice. We ask that if you’re interested or have something to offer, you just message us so we can organize volunteers & supplies. Much love
🤎

Address

300 King Street, East
Kitchener, ON
N2G2L3

Website

https://linktr.ee/communityfridgekw

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Community Fridge KW posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Community Fridge KW:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Kitchener?