BUFFALO, N.Y. — It's a pretty unusual site on Ferry and Welker streets in Buffalo. The words 'Buffalo Community Fridge' and 'Free Food' aren't a hoax. A look inside the Buffalo Community Fridge confirms that.

What You Need To Know

  • Buffalo Community Fridge has free food available 24/7
  • Founder Jess Reardon says food is not a privilege, it's a basic human right
  • The fridge is located in a Buffalo section identified as a "food desert"

Jessie Reardon says the community refrigerator — the first of its kind in Buffalo with free fresh food — is here to stay.

Reardon, who is a nurse, was inspired by similar successful food programs in New York City. The fridge is located in area considered to be a food desert in Buffalo.

Reardon says it’s a means to provide nutrition that is desperately lacking in this community. 

Anyone can stop by for a quick bite or to gather ingredients to cook a wholesome meal — but some passersby are skeptical about the act of kindness.

"A lot of people are super confused, which is understandable," said Reardon. "The concept of having a fridge on the sidewalk is a little weird. Once they understand what it is people get super excited about it.”

Periodically Reardon will be reloading the fridge with donated produce, pre-cooked meals, and baby food. 

Donations are allowed, except for raw meats and seafood. 

Everyone is asked to sanitize the products and their hands before dropping it off. 

"It's for the community by the community," adds Reardon. "It not going to work unless everyone pitches in. This is where people can come anytime no judgment, no questions, it doesn't matter who you are, where you are from, you can take this food. It's not a privilege, it’s a basic human right." 

Reardon says she'd like to see a lot more community fridges pop up throughout the Queen City. For more information, visit their Instagram page.