Toronto Butcher Shop Set To Host New Community Fridge & Says It's A 'Direct Way To Help'
The fridge should be up and running in the next few weeks.
Sanagan's Meat Locker in Kensington Market.
Toronto is no stranger to community fridges, and a new resource for those facing food insecurity will soon be available in Kensington Market.
Sanagan's Meat Locker in Kensington Market has stepped up to host a new community fridge that should be up and running in the coming weeks.
Community fridges can be found across Toronto, and community members can take what they need from the fridge while leaving what they can.
Peter Sanagan, the owner of Sanagan's Meat Locker, told Narcity the Kensington Market Business Improvement Area put a call out looking for someone interested in hosting a fridge and that the decision was a "no brainer."
"I just think it serves an unfortunate need in each community that has one, and I've found that there's been a pretty overwhelmingly positive response from both the members of the community who have needed access to that as well as the people who donate."
Sanagan says anyone in the community will be able to help stock the fridge. Sanagan's Meat Locker will also be stocking it with items "if and when they become available in the store," in addition to supplying the space and energy to run the fridge.
Community Fridges Toronto supplied the new unit, but Carolyn Douse, artist and founder of Oldowan, a Black-owned clothing and skateboarding collective, volunteered her time to design and paint the fridge's exterior.
Sanagan says Douse is a friend of one of his employees and that she did a "beautiful job" on the fridge.
"There some growing patterns, there's some language on there saying 'Plant the seed and watch it grow.' It's a good kind of philosophy."
The fridge is ready to go, but Sanagan says they are just waiting for an awning to be installed over the storefront to protect the refrigerator from the elements before it's made available to the public.
Sanagan says he hopes the public keeps supporting community fridges.
"Instead of waiting for those carrots to go rotten and throwing them in the garbage, there are people that could use that stuff. And now there are places throughout the city where you can put those things, and people can have access to them in a way that's dignified and community-driven."
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.