Penn Medicine partners with Philadelphia Union to open community fridge, combat food insecurity

Penn Medicine and the Philadelphia Union soccer team have partnered to provide a community fridge at the Boys & Girls Club of Chester to help address food insecurity.

“At Penn Medicine, our work has shown the importance of food access for the health of the wider community, and helping establish a program that makes gains in this area brings us great pride,” Kevin Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, said in a statement to Penn Medicine News. “Everything we do is with an eye toward the communities we serve, and it’s thrilling to have a partner like the Union that shares those priorities."

The Boys & Girls Club of Chester is a nonprofit organization that helps provide a transition to adulthood for youth in Chester, Pa. It offers a "home away from home," counseling and career guidance, and athletic skills, and combats teenage drug and alcohol use. 

The refrigerator is the first project of its kind for Chester and contains a fridge in addition to a pantry and deep freezer. The incentive aims to provide nutritious and filling foods for the community. 

The unveiling of the project on May 4 offered Chester residents a variety of foods, including grapes, avocados, oat milk, tomato sauce, dry pasta, and more. Additionally, a free farmers’ market was held.

Food for the refrigerator is being provided by Sharing Excess, a food donation facilitator that rescues surplus food from retailers and collects food donations. Through its efforts, Sharing Excess has rescued 41 million pounds of food since 2018. 

The Union will facilitate opportunities for volunteers to donate food and collect rewards. In addition, it will supplement stock with partner donations. Penn Medicine will host volunteer days for its staff to help stock the pantry. 

The refrigerator will be open weekdays 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. to anyone in the community with a no-questions-asked policy, according to Penn Medicine News.