Community fridge in Inverness neighbourhood aims to cut food wastage
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A community fridge is being set up in an Inverness neighbourhood in a bid to reduce food waste and provide support for those who need it.
The project in Culloden is being led by the church-run GoodNESS Project and has received funding of £2400 from food retailer Scotmid to get it off the ground.
It will be based in a shed at the Barn Centre, in Barn Church Road, and aims to redistribute surplus food produce from retailers and donated items from individuals.
Rebecca Wilson, co-ordinator of the GoodNESS Project – set up by Barn Church and Kings Inverness – hopes it will be up and running this month.
"The main message is we want the fridge to help the community reduce waste and support local businesses in reducing waste," Mrs Wilson said.
"It will be open to everyone – whether you are interested in stopping good food going to landfill, want to have an impact on the environment, or could do with some food support.
"It will be a big part of the GoodNESS Project’s vision to promote a cyclical economy and being more responsible for the environment in local communities."
It is hoped to get local schools involved and there are also plans to create a community garden at Barn Church where fruit and vegetables could be grown which would contribute to the fridge.
The support from Scotmid arose from another venture at Christmas, called Food Hampers for the Community.
It in involved four churches – Barn Church, King’s Inverness, Culloden-Balloch Baptist Church and Smithton Free Church – which joined together to deliver hampers to 200 families.
The venture raised £5000 which was matched by another organisation, the Love Christmas Campaign to support local food efforts.
Mrs Wilson subsequently spoke to Scotmid about using the money for specially-tailored food vouchers at its store in Balloch.
The retailer was interested in the project and in return, offered to provide funds to install a community fridge.
Lynne Ogg, north Scotland communities manager for Scotmid, said: "We are excited to fund the GoodNESS community fridge.
"We have supported community fridges in other locations so have seen first-hand how well local communities respond to them and the endless benefits they offer.
"This project aligns perfectly with Scotmid’s core purpose – to serve our communities and to improve people’s everyday lives."
Related story: Inverness church transformed into grocery distribution warehouse for food project
