health & safety protocols.
please follow these distancing and sanitizing protocols to keep everyone safe. we can't know if someone is at high risk for COVID or even common colds or flu. while some of us may be vaccinated and therefore at lower risk for contracting COVID, we can still GIVE it to others around us.
community safety is community care.
PROTOCOLS:
we put on a mask before approaching the fridge.*
we use hand sanitizer before AND after opening AND closing the fridge and/or pantry.
we use the wipes available or bring our own to sanitize the items we bring whenever possible.
we keep our masks on and stay six (6) feet away from others around the fridge whenever possible.
we do not come to the fridge in person if we have COVID symptoms or have tested positive.**
we kindly remind one another of these protocols if we forget.
*if you forget your mask or don't have one, there are masks available at the fridge. please take one!
**if you are experiencing COVID symptoms or have tested positive and are unable to access food while isolating, please email us and we'll try to set up a drop off. we cannot regularly make deliveries but will do our best or connect you to other community resources in these situations.
what CAN & CAN'T go in the fridge & pantry.
please follow this list so we can all be fed safely and without trouble.
we don't want to get anyone sick OR expose ourselves or our community members
to interactions with bylaw ticketing or other legal involvements.
please DO bring:
fresh produce from your garden or fridge
shelf-stable items
(store-bought jars and canned goods, boxed meals, rice, beans, etc.)bread
(a day or two past "best before" date is okay but please do NOT
bring moldy or rock-hard bread.)eggs
(store-bought or fresh.)baby food, formula, other baby items
menstrual products*
(unopened boxes only.)safer sex products*
(condoms, dental dams, small bottles of lube (unopened only), etc.)
please do NOT bring:
home-pickled or home-canned items
home-cooked meals
meat
(including seafood; canned meats are okay.)dairy products
alcohol
*while Chilliwack Free Fridge is prioritizing food access, menstrual
and safer sex products are also prohibitively expensive and should be free!
there is dedicated space in the pantry beside the fridge for these products.
please get in touch if you're unsure if you can bring something!
we are happy to talk it through or answer any questions.
how to label what you bring.
please label the food you drop off as outlined here so we can make sure everything is safe to eat and keep the fridge organized and clean.
labels should include:
date purchased.
(if item was purchased)date picked.
(if you grew or harvested the produce yourself)date brought to the fridge.
your name.
your phone number or email address.
(for COVID tracing safety in addition to an event of unsafe foods. this is simply so we can make you aware—you are not in danger of being reported to any health authorities in such cases! we simply want to keep you and everyone else safe and informed.)
etiquette and conduct.
***free fridges are legal so long as they follow the same protocols
we have set up regarding food and community safety.***
we treat neighbours and fellow fridge users, stockers, and cleaners with mutual respect.
free fridges are a community resource and should not be places of anxiety or fear.
we don't question what people need or how much they take.
their needs and reasons are not about us.
we bring food we would be happy to eat (not expired, rotten, etc).
this is a place to access safe, good food!
we follow the drop-off and pick-up safety protocols—
but we can still have a chat, from a distance!
we follow the fridge stocking protocols and only bring items that can be accepted.
this keeps the free fridge safe so we don't make anyone sick OR encounter trouble with the city.
***etiquette and fridge-stocking information is also available onsite at the fridge.
any changes to expectations will be made directly on this website and at the fridge,
and updates will be posted to the news and updates page, the fridge twitter
@ChilliwackFree, and at the fridge.***