Uckfield Community Fridge

What we are for

A Community Fridge is a simple idea. So simple in fact, that there are over 150 in the UK! Essentially, locals and businesses can bring excess (but within use-by date) food, and we share it with those in the community that want it. This not only reduces food waste, but also helps those that might need a top up to the food shop that week.

This really is a project for everyone to take part in! You can bring food along one day, and take some the next.

We have worked with many local businesses and organisations, but the support of local residents is the lifeblood of Uckfield Community Fridge.

The nitty gritty

The Uckfield Community Fridge is formed as a Community Interest Company, with four company directors and nearly 30 volunteers. The Fridge is located behind the Source building and is accessed via Luxford Fields:

The Community Fridge is located in a former shipping container, which we have fundraised to convert into the purpose-built home for the Fridge. Take a peak inside!

We also have a freezer, allowing us to collect and store more food, including meat products.

What we have done so far

Our first full year of opening was 2022 and it was an incredible year for us. We were open on 193 occasions and redistributed 21,557 kgs of food to 8,137 households, having a lot of fun along the way as well!

We celebrated our first birthday in October 2022 with an apple-themed party, where we were joined by hundreds of local residents.

In 2023, we have run several initiatives to support people in the cost of living crisis. We prepared 130 recipe kits to feed 332 people in our January community currry initiative. These were delivered to residents, but many chose to pick them up:

Another 315 people were able to share in our July “Pay it forward Picnic”, which was generously funded by cubitt&west:

We hope you will be able to participate in our next event – watch this space! In the meantime, you can visit Uckfield Community Fridge on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Click here for more detail of our exact opening times: https://uckfieldcommunityfridge.org/contact/

Help us to help you

The Uckfield Community Fridge opened in October 2021 and we have given out literally tons of food so far! We would like to continue to grow, so if you think you can support us with a donation of food, money, or your time, please click here: https://uckfieldcommunityfridge.org/get-involved/