Special to the Regional Review
Students at the Eliot School recently spent giving back to those in need. On November 13 and 14, Roughly 80 third and fourth graders filled the community fridge at NEW Health Charlestown. The school donated enough food to fill the fridge four times.
The Community Fridge is located just outside the Charlestown health center and is open at all times, stocked with free, healthy food for everyone in need. Throughout the month of November, the NEW Health Food Insecurity Program is initiating another #fillthefridge campaign to drive donations and combat food insecurity. NEW Health is asking residents to fill the fridge one day, post it on social media with #fillthefridge, tag @newhealthboston and a friend to keep the chain going. If anyone is unable to donate food, they can consider making a monetary donation online.
NEW Health Public Affairs Coordinator Danny Coakley educated the students on the general issue surrounding food insecurity in the neighborhood. More students are expected to fill the fridge in the coming weeks.
Acceptable Community Fridge food donations include: whole fruits and vegetables, commercially packaged refrigerated foods (eggs, milk, cheese, butter, tortillas, bread, bagged salad, etc.), and commercially packaged frozen foods (vegetables, fruits, prepared meals, etc.).
NEW Health’s Food Insecurity Program, serving both its North End and Charlestown sites, was established in 2016. NEW Health is Charlestown’s first full-service health center and is committed to improving the quality of health and life for its over 5,000 patients in the neighborhood. The health center continues to increase their food insecurity efforts to help families in need with the help of the community.
The Charlestown site is located at 15 Tufts Street.