St. Christopher’s Hospital is hosting a community fridge on its Kensington campus

St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children is hosting a free community fridge on its Kensington campus in an effort to help patients and their families more easily access nutritious food.

Hospital officials held a grand opening for the distinctive yellow fridge, operated by the Mama-Tee Community Fridge Project, on Wednesday. The nonprofit, which operates a number of community fridges around the city and is based in South Philadelphia, spent months making it a reality, founder Michelle Nelson said.

“There are a lot of food insecurity issues in Philly as a city, and [the hospital’s] section of Philly has similar issues,” Nelson said. “It was an opportunity to help a diverse population of children.”

Mama-Tee launched its first community fridge during the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020 and now runs 18 locations. Patrons are encouraged to take what they need, for free, and give what they can. Whole Foods and several other local stores, including Wawa and Fresh Grocer, partner with Mama-Tee to help keep the fridges stocked with fresh food. The fridges have a “nutrition-first” focus, the nonprofit says, and prioritizes stocking them with unexpired produce and pantry items.

The nonprofit Feeding America estimated that Philadelphia had a food insecurity rate of 13.6% in 2021 — meaning that nearly 14% of city residents did not have regular access to enough food. In three North Philadelphia zip codes, including St. Christopher’s 19134 zip code, researchers found nearly 37% of the population in 2019 didn’t have “reliable access to food.”

Renee Turchi, chair of pediatrics at St. Christopher’s, said hospital staff wanted to address children’s health beyond regular checkups or hospital visits.

“Some of the most important things we address can be helping them with social challenges. We’re always thinking about creative ways to help support families,” she said.

The hospital has previously been involved with large-scale initiatives to combat food insecurity, giving away some 70,000 meals during the COVID-19 pandemic and providing 300 meals a day to kids during the summer. Located on the St. Christopher’s campus is an office for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a federal nutrition program. But the fridge on the hospital campus doesn’t require an appointment or a specific income level to use.

“Families can just come by after a visit and take what they want. They don’t have to check in to get their free food,” Turchi said. “It’s the ultimate in convenience.”

Mama-Tee staff spend significant time planning their fridge’s location, according to Nelson, the founder, who has a Ph.D. in educational psychology and urban planning. At St. Christopher’s, they wanted the fridge to be easily accessible to patients arriving by public transportation, and also far enough from major roads that parents could safely stop by with young children.

“We go through an analysis before making a decision about where a community fridge could be a good fit, because we want the location to be successful,” Nelson said.

Staff at St. Christopher’s have begun handing out fliers to patients and their families promoting the fridge, and about a dozen families had used it as of Friday. Whole Foods will supply most of the items stocked, but Mama-Tee will also work with grocers nearby. The hospital cafeteria will also contribute food.

“Families are really excited about it,” Turchi said. “[Combating food insecurity] is definitely part of our mission, and I feel like families are starting to know that this is who we are and what we do.”