Funky Town Fridge: an act of community solidarity

TCU students can help stock the Fridge.

Donations for Funky Town Fridge, which provides food in Southside Fort Worth, Polytechnic Heights and the Campus Drive area, are being accepted through Friday at Rickel 161 (the academic wing of the University Recreation Center), the Rec Center and Richards Hall.

Vegetables, fresh, frozen or canned, infant formula, bottled water and peanut butter are among the items accepted according to the guidelines on Funky Town Fridge’s website. Donations are accepted via Cash App at funkytownfridge. The food drive was organized by TCU social work students.

“Funky Town Fridge is a place where people can go and take what they need, no questions asked,” said Jaylin Schraner, a senior social work major and member of the Student Association of Social Work. “There’s no signups or shame behind it. It serves as an asset to the Fort Worth community.”

There are two fridges in Southside Fort Worth, one fridge in the Polytechnic Heights (Poly) area and one fridge at the Goodwill on Campus Drive. Another fridge will go up in the Stop Six neighborhood soon, according to Richardson. For exact locations of the fridges, visit here.

Funky Town Fridge is different than other food banks because it’s open 24/7, there are no questions asked and the fridges are taken care of by the community.

A community takes care of a fridge by filling it and keeping it cleaned, said Funky Town Fridge founder Kendra Richardson. The whole process depends on communities taking care of each other.

The mission of Funky Town Fridge is to feed the people of Fort Worth and remove the stigmas and stipulations from getting food, Richardson said.

Scarcity is a myth, according to Richardson. “We allow restaurants and businesses to throw food away on a daily basis while people go hungry,” she said.

Richardson said if she sees people there shopping, as a matter of trust and respect, she just walks away and lets them do their thing.

There is no shame in needing food, she said. “We respect the time, dignity and humanity of those in need.”

The fridges are painted by local artists to appear inviting and friendly and to let people know that there’s free food available for them there, Richardson said.

As of Nov. 17, there are two fridges in Southside Fort Worth, one fridge in the Polytechnic Heights (Poly) area and one fridge at the Goodwill on Campus Drive. Another fridge will go up in the Stop Six neighborhood soon, according to Richardson. For exact locations of the fridges, visit here.

The neighborhoods that currently have fridges also do not have grocery stores, Richardson said.

Fridges will be all over Fort Worth as long as people want the fridges and want to host them, she said. Anyone can start a community fridge if they want to.

The best way to help existing fridges is to donate food. Community members can visit any fridge near them and donate whenever possible, as long as the donations are within the guidelines. People may also donate other necessities, such as toiletries and paper towels.

To volunteer to help with fridge maintenance, host a fridge or partner with Funky Town Fridge, contact funkytownfridge@gmail.com.