Food security initiative combats hunger with ‘community fridges’

AMMAN — The “Thalajat Al Khair” community fridges project will continue their expansion throughout the Kingdom in 2023, tackling food insecurities and food waste, according to the initiative’s organisers. 

“The thing we want to focus on now is making our operations long-term and consistent, particularly during hard times,” Thalajat Al Khair co-founder Aya Sirriyeh told The Jordan Times.

The initiative’s work involves people donating excess food, or non-perishable foodstuffs and boxed meals, In order to manage quality, each meal is labelled with the contents of the dish and the date it was prepared, Sirriyeh said.

The local initiative now has 15 fridges in different areas across Jordan, according to Sirriyeh. The locations include Dabouq, Sweileh, Sweifieh, Seventh Circle, Dahiyet Rashid, Khalda, Eighth Circle and other areas.

For Sirriyeh, community fridges represent a positive message, as they are a new way of giving back to the community and fighting hunger.

“There has been, surprisingly, continued demand for community fridges in Jordan, and it is a positive addition to charitable donations and giving,” she said.

It is important for community food programmes to operate in way that dignifies people in crisis, meeting their needs with dignity, she stressed.

“There is a huge number of people who do not know when and where their next meal will come from. Therefore, all of us should be doing something to help,” Sirriyeh said.