AjMadison Pledges to Donate 100 Refrigerators to Community Fridge Projects Across the Country

This Appliance Retailer is donating 100 refrigerators to community fridge groups across the country, including DC.

A Community Refrigerator is a free food fridge placed outside in a public space. Just in time for Earth Day, AjMadison (ajmadison.com/communityfridge) will kick off a year-long project delivering 100 refrigerators to support Community Fridge programs across the country. They pledge to donate fully functional scratch-
and-dent fridges otherwise destined for landfills and give more communities a chance to reduce hunger. New York City, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia are the starting locations of the year-long initiative.

The AjMadison team strives to be an integral part of their local communities – and beyond. AjMadison and True Residential donated NYC's 55th Community Refrigerator in Harlem. Marla Harris, Operations Manager at AjMadison, led the charge on the initiative. "The AjMadison Community Fridge Initiative seeks to bring more visibility to food insecurity and celebrate these grassroots groups' amazing work. The amount of support we have received from partner brands, activists, and influencers exceeded anything I could have imagined." Influencers @CheapOldHouses, @FareIsle, @Manscapers, and @Brownstone Boys agreed to spread the word, and every day the project gains more momentum and support.

Food insecurity is a significant issue nationwide, affecting approximately 41 million Americans. According to Feeding America, many families are just one bad month away from becoming food insecure. Washington DC is one of the most affluent and unequal areas nationwide. 1 in 7 children experiences hunger. Childhood food insecurity can impact a person's physical, emotional, social, and mental abilities and chronic undernutrition before three years of age reduces a person's ability to learn.

Curbing food waste helps reduce hunger. Around 72 billion pounds of perfectly edible food gets wasted each year in the United States. Meanwhile, people living in underserved communities experience food insecurity and measurable health disparities. Community fridges are a grassroots response to a dire food insecurity crisis.

"This effort helps organizations that support people experiencing food insecurity, reduces food waste, and emphasizes the importance of sustainability," said AjMadison's Vice President of Marketing, Amy Chernoff. Community Fridges are a beacon of hope for many and often a work of art representing the community's unique history and values. "We invite local artists, schools, and influencers to paint or decorate the refrigerators and engage with local restaurants to donate excess food to their community fridge projects," Chernoff said.

Help AjMadison place 100 refrigerators in the next 12 months. AjMadison will create and share a reel on Instagram @ajmadison. Use the hashtag #ajcommunityfridge to share the word! Repost, share, and tag your friends.